Our new strategy strengthens the role of the Finnish National Agency for Education as a promoter of a civilised, skilled and equal society

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At the beginning of the year, the Institute for the Languages of Finland became part of the Finnish National Agency for Education. At the same time, we updated the Agency's strategy to focus our objectives more strongly on raising the level of education and strengthening equality, non-discrimination and inclusion. 

Kuvitus, jossa ihmiset seisovat yhdessä maapallon edessä. En illustration där människor står tillsammans framför en jordglob. An illustration showing people gathered in front of a globe

Photo: Opetushallitus

The Finnish National Agency for Education has long served as a national developer of education and culture, promoter of internationalisation and provider of information and services. The integration of the Institute for the Languages of Finland into the Finnish National Agency for Education further expanded and strengthened our understanding of the importance of education for inclusion, democracy, social stability and trust. This understanding has now been solidified in our agency's new strategy.

The mission of the Finnish National Agency for Education is to strengthen education as the foundation for a meaningful future

We worked on our new strategy with all our staff. To this end, we examined phenomena that directly affect the tasks of the Finnish National Agency for Education and the development of Finnish society now and in the future. The key themes highlighted as a result of this examination were equality and non-discrimination, globalisation and internationalisation, digitalisation and the use of artificial intelligence, wellbeing and relevance, and the transformation of skills and working life. Also highlighted were the changing security environment and its impact on education, languages and international cooperation.

Based on discussions and analyses, we formulated a shared vision for the merged organisation: The long-term mission of the Finnish National Agency for Education is to strengthen education as the foundation for a meaningful future. All the tasks of the Finnish National Agency for Education are underpinned by education and the promotion thereof, and the Agency plays a key role in strengthening a sustainable and trust-based society through education, skills, language and internationalisation.

– Education is essential for the wellbeing and sustainable development of individuals and society. It lays the foundations for critical thinking, inclusion and trust and strengthens the ability to face change, uncertainty and different views. Education supports equal opportunities for learning and development throughout life, promotes democracy and social stability and builds the basis for international cooperation and confidence in the future. Without strong education, society's ability to renew itself and respond to international challenges will inevitably decline, says Director General of the Finnish National Agency for Education Minna Kelhä.

Impact through education, language and internationalisation

Our new strategy defines the direction and priorities of the Finnish National Agency for Education’s operations for the coming years. The strategy will steer our operations more strongly towards raising levels of education, training and skills and strengthening equality, non-discrimination and inclusion. The aim is to support internationalisation and Finland’s international cooperation in a changing world and to strengthen the position of the languages of Finland in society and culture. At the same time, the strategy emphasises wellbeing, sustainability skills and confidence in the future as factors that underpin the ability of individuals, communities and society as a whole to face and manage change.

The broad scope of our societal objectives is an indication of how comprehensively the Finnish National Agency for Education's operations affect society and, on the other hand, the extent to which social phenomena are reflected in our work. Our organisational objectives guide us to develop and renew our operations so that we can meet the challenges of our changing operating environment and deliver our societal objectives in a sustainable way, now and in the future.

The strategy process also involved formulating a set of common values for the Finnish National Agency for Education to guide all of its operations and decision-making.

– Trust, openness, sustainability and equality were selected as the values of the Finnish National Agency for Education, as they support the goals of our strategy and describe the kind of culture that we want to build here at the Agency. Trust and openness strengthen cooperation and transparency in decision-making. Sustainability guides us towards long-term and responsible action, and equality ensures that everyone has equal opportunities to participate and contribute, Kelhä describes.

The strategic objectives must not remain mere plans. Instead, they must be reflected in the actions and results of our everyday work. To ensure this, we engage in management by objectives based on the Objectives and Key Results (OKR) model, which you can read more about on our website.