Finland is the new safe haven for students because it will cost no dime to study at university in the country. No matter where they come from, or what their income is, Finland’s greens policy states that they would offer free university education to everyone who wants to study in Finland.
This is initiative is part of a wider scheme to endeavor foreign students find it easier to reside, study, and work in the country. The greens policy suggests this initiative would enhance foreign talent retention and bring much-needed workers into the labor market.
Iiris Suomela, a lawmaker, said the reason for eradicating university tuition fees for international students was a plan supported by both political parties in the country.
Suomela explained that although there was a discrepancy, in the beginning, everyone agreed when they realized the effects of canceling tuition fees for international students.
This would attract more young people to the country and in return enhance the financial system, and develop the educational system.
Factors that contributed to the success of Finland’s educational model
Most notable of all factors responsible for success is ‘their teachers’. Teachers and teaching are highly regarded in Finland. Amazingly, teaching is constantly rated as one of the most admired professions in the country, ahead of medical doctors, architects, and lawyers, etc.
Another feature responsible for the success of the Finnish educational model is the effectiveness and fluidity of the system. The decentralization of decision-making power to the local authorities in the country.
Also, the educational authorities and parents understanding that education is a highly complex process also helps.
Criticism from the political opposition
There has been criticism from the right side of Finland’s political parties towards the abolition of university fees for students from outside the EU. However, the Left Alliance is fully in support of the government.
Suomela explained that when they evaluated the cost of educating someone for two or three years to the amount of tax money that person is going to bring into the economy both during their studies and after they graduate and get a job, they determined that it only takes a few years for them to pay back what they’ve received from the state in free education.
She noted that many students coming from outside the EU mostly receive scholarships from their institutions so their own countries are paying for the cost of their tuition.
Advantages of Finland’s green policy
The new Green Policy to abolish tuition fees for students who want to study in Finland helps Finnish companies become more international.
It will also attempt to streamline the current system of financial aid for universities having one integrated concept for all higher education institutions instead of many different systems.
The policy is one that will help boost the country’s plans to develop its education and economy.
Other fruits of Finland’s green policy on the environment
The fruits of successful environmental policies are clearly visible around the country.
- Many polluted lakes and rivers have been cleaned up.
- Air quality has improved greatly around industrial locations.
- An extensive network of protected areas has been built up to safeguard biodiversity.
- Forests are managed more sensitively than in the past with the overall annual growth rate exceeding the total timber harvest.
- Emissions from large industrial facilities have particularly been curbed significantly.
Existing problems of Finland
These trends have not been as favorable as for industry and the corresponding plans must be set in place. There is still a need to reduce airborne emissions of carbon dioxide, noise, and particles from traffic, as well as waterborne nutrient emissions generated by farms and by scattered settlements not connected to sewerage systems.
Efforts to halt the ongoing decline in biodiversity have also been insufficient in spite of progress in the conservation of certain threatened species. The struggle to combat climate change must also be continued more resolutely both in Finland and globally.
Increasing tourism in Lapland can likewise burden the environment, but it can also encourage environmental protection since most tourists are attracted to Lapland by the region’s unspoiled natural settings.
