Raise in Compulsory Education Age Suggested
Minister of education, Tuula Haatainen, has proposed raising the age limit of compulsory education to 18….
Haatainen told the newspaper Uutispäivä Demari that the current age limit of 16 is based on an existing law which is over 80 years old, and that reforms in the system are long overdue.
She said that most people would agree that a 16-year-old is still a child and they should continue their education.
The minister said 5.5 percent of all the students in Finland finish their education at 16.
…is this because she thinks 16 and 17 year-olds are to stupid/lazy/immature/whatever to make this decision for themselves? Or is she more concerned about how the welfare state will handle these flunkies a couple decades later?
Some studies say that nowdays in Finland puberty comes about three years earlier than 100 years ago. I can’t see any valid reasons for this proposition. Besides, like she said, most people continue their education anyway. This is because they have to (if they don’t want to work at McDonalds for all eternity).
Comment by 4rc — Mon, Jan 31st, 2005 @ 4:59 pm
I don’t see how compulsory education could get those people to study anything more than they do now. If they wanted to, they would.
Comment by Toveri — Mon, Jan 31st, 2005 @ 5:34 pm
There is a risk that those teenagers go out and have some fun. That is a sin in Finland. You can’t have any fun before 28, when it is already too late, because then you’ll have mortgages and other responsibilties.
Comment by Simahaukka — Mon, Jan 31st, 2005 @ 7:49 pm
Excellet points guys. Toveri, I agree, if you force these kids to stay in school against their will, they’ll probably just disrupt the class and ruin things for the people that actually want to be there.
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