Shortage of psychologists in school lamented

There is shortage of school psychologists in all municipalities, reported Finnish language news-paper consortium Lännen Media.

According to Lännen Media, the number of psychologists has been increased in the 2010s but the level required by law is still far away.

According to the statistics from the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) there were no school psychologist services or no data of them in 12 percent of all Finnish primary schools in the last academic year.

The situation is worse in high schools and vocational schools. In the 2013-2014 academic year, one in four of high schools and vocational schools had no or unreported psychologist services.

The data is derived from a survey of THL and National Board of Education.

During Jokela's and Kauhajoki's school massacres in 2007 to 2008 there were psychologists in 63% of high schools and 49% of vocational schools.

“In vocational schools the amount of psychologists was decreased, not improved at all,” THL's expert Kirsi Wiss told Lännen Media.