Helsingin Sanomat reports on a new development in Finnish school discipline. Instead of detentions, many Finnish teachers are now asking errant pupils to attend 'development discussions', support groups and mediation.
Jukka Kuittinen of the Finnish teachers' union OAJ says that detentions are much less common in Finnish schools than they used to be. The replacement measures are meant to create a more positive atmosphere and encourage co-operation between teachers and pupils.
At the Koivukylä school in Vantaa, such measures are now the main method of dealing with problems. Sometimes a child will be asked to call their parent while a teacher is present, and explain what has happened. The school's principal Heikki Hirvonen says that searching for children who skip detentions can become a 'farce', and that a detention with many children present is sometimes seen as a chance for boisterous children to show off.
According to Hirvonen a one-on-one discussion about their behaviour, possibly followed by a call home to explain the issue, is more fruitful.
Peacekeeper accused of assault in Malta
The Malta Independent is not usually part of our press review, but the past week has seen Finland in the Maltese headlines in quite an unflattering light. At issue is a Finnish peacekeeper who was remanded in custody a week ago on suspicion of assaulting a Maltese man.
The victim says he found the Finn trying to break into his minivan before explaining that he owned the vehicle. He claims the Finn then said 'no', smashed a wine bottle and attacked him with it. He is now charged with grievous bodily harm, trying to break into a vehicle and trying to escape from police.
Recession hits Finnish music industry
Kauppalehti has sought out yet another aspect of Finnish life adversely affected by the recession. The business daily says that last autumn many Finnish acts were forced to cancel concerts due to poor ticket sales caused party by a 'perfect storm' of a dire economy and a clogged schedule of gigs planned by over-optimistic promoters.
This year fewer concerts are planned for domestic artists and international stars, in part because of the poor economy and sanctions slapped on many businesses in neighbouring Russia. Helsinki is often an add-on for big stars heading to Russia, but as those tours begin to steer clear of the big Russian cities, they're also likely to skip Finland.
Live Nation Finland, one of the biggest promoters in Finland, laid off ten people last year as a result of poor turnover. There were too many concerts featuring Finnish artists, according to Live Nation Finland MD Nina Castrén, but foreign acts did well.
"Our international artists, like Roxette, Elton John and Enrique Iglesias, sold well," Kauppalehti quoted Castrén as saying.