Schools coping well with distance education

The transition to and delivery of distance education in Finnish schools and educational institutions were successful considering the circumstances, found a study launched by the Finnish National Agency for Education.

This is attributed to the high professional skills of teachers and the society’s investments in education and digitalisation.

The study was launched to find out how schools and institutions in primary and secondary education are coping with being forced into distance education by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Finland switched to distance education in March 2020.

The study has collated and summarised a number of Finnish studies and reports to facilitate further reforms and development of education in the future. The study period is planned to continue until the end of this year.

“We’ll be looking at how infrastructure and equipment in Finland have served its purpose, what kind of digital learning practices have developed, what kind of skills and competences are needed in the future, and what direct or indirect consequences the period of distance education may have,” said Project Coordinator Jaakko Vuorio.

So far, initial observations have been made based on, among other things, reports from education and training providers (such as municipalities). In total, they represent the experiences related to digital learning and the period of distance education of some 20,000 teachers, guardians, learners, and principals.

The study also covers publications of different research projects, surveys conducted by trade unions and student organisations, and reports produced by various authorities. The challenge thus lies in collating the diverse survey data for use as a tool for the development of education.