Finland has been slipping down the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) rankings in recent years, and this week's episode of All Points North looks into why global education's once star pupil has been falling behind the rest of the class.
Helsinki-based teacher Lotta Liukkonen told APN that changes to the Finnish educational model introduced since 2014 have impacted Finland's performance in the PISA assessments, which tend to focus on more traditional subjects and methods.
"In Finland we're really developing the education system more towards this student-led learning instead of teacher-led learning, and I think there seems to be more chaos in the classroom," Liukkonen said.
You can listen to the full podcast using the embedded player here, via Yle Areena, on Spotify or via the options found in this article.
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Finland's ramped-up rhetoric
As Russia has escalated its war on Ukraine, Finland's political leaders have in turn ramped up their own rhetoric.
Speaking in Norway, President Sauli Niinistö condemned Russia's "indiscriminate bombing" of Ukrainian cities, adding that the only possible end result from the conflict must be a free Ukraine.
Niinistö's words echoed those of Prime Minister Sanna Marin (SDP), whose no-nonsense response to a journalist's question was picked up by news outlets worldwide.
"It is obviously the official line of the Finnish state leadership, and that is quite remarkable in the sense that combined with Nato membership, it's very obvious that Putin and Russia have simply crossed too many red lines," Minna Ålander of the Finnish Institute of International Affairs told APN.
Saving the Saimaa seals
APN also hears about efforts to conserve and replenish the population of the highly endangered Saimaa ringed seals, native only to the Saimaa lake district of southeast Finland.
Tighter restrictions on net fishing in the Saimaa lake region were a significant contributory factor in a record number of seal pups being born this year, according to a report by Finland's network of regional economic development ELY-centres.
However, measures aimed at helping the Saimaa seals cannot stop there, Petteri Tolvanen of WWF Finland told APN.
"There are no other places where this species or subspecies is living, so it is extremely important to protect them because they can be protected only in Lake Saimaa and it is unique to have this kind of freshwater seal," Tolvanen said.
Join the discussion
This week's show was presented by Ronan Browne and Veronica Kontopoulou. The sound engineer was Panu Willman.
If you have any questions or would like to share your thoughts, contact us via WhatsApp on +358 44 421 0909, on our Facebook or Twitter accounts, or at yle.news@yle.fi and allpointsnorth@yle.fi.
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