School Leadership and Administration in Finland

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Finland’s schools are run by local education providers, in most cases municipalities, within a framework set by legislation and by national core curricula issued by the Finnish National Agency for Education (Opetushallitus, EDUFI). Three features stand out for comparative readers. First, the principal must meet qualification requirements laid down in a national decree, but appointment is a local matter for the employer. Second, the country has had no school inspection since the early 1990s; quality assurance relies on providers’ statutory self-evaluation, complemented by sample-based national evaluations carried out by the Finnish Education Evaluation Centre (Karvi, FINEEC). Third, there is no national framework for teacher appraisal.

At a glance

FeatureFinland
Level responsible for schoolsEducation providers, mostly municipalities; about 2% of compulsory-age pupils attend private, publicly funded schools
National steeringLegislation, funding and national core curricula (EDUFI); local curricula drawn up by providers
School autonomyHigh: schools often manage budgets, procurement and recruitment under delegated powers
Who appoints principalsThe education provider (usually the municipality), through open, publicly advertised recruitment
Required qualificationMaster’s degree, teacher qualification for the school type, sufficient teaching experience, and knowledge of educational administration (Decree 986/1998)
Principal preparationNo compulsory programme; EDUFI examination, 25 university credits or equivalent knowledge
Inspection and evaluationNo school inspectorate since the early 1990s; provider self-evaluation plus national evaluations by Karvi
Teacher appraisalNo national policy framework; where it happens, usually carried out by the principal
Compulsory educationOne year of pre-primary education from age 6; nine-year basic education from age 7; since 2021, compulsory until age 18 or an upper secondary qualification
International assessmentsPISA, PIRLS and TALIS (including TALIS 2024)

Governance and school autonomy

Responsibility for organising basic education lies with local authorities. According to Eurydice, municipalities decide how funding is distributed, adopt local curricula and recruit staff, and they may delegate decision-making powers to schools. Within the limits set by law, schools may organise their work according to their own arrangements; many control their budgets, procurement and recruitment, and there are no national rules on class size. Teachers choose their own methods and materials.

National steering takes the form of legislation, funding and the core curricula. The current core curriculum for basic education dates from 2014 and was phased in from August 2016; each provider writes a local curriculum on that basis. EDUFI itself states that it does not supervise the activities of education providers; supervision rests with the municipalities and with state regional administration. On 1 January 2026, the regional state administrative agencies (AVIs) and Valvira ceased operating and a new national Permit and Supervision Agency (Lupa- ja valvontavirasto) began work; among other functions, it took over the AVIs’ tasks relating to early childhood education and education.

The school network is contracting. EDUFI reports that the number of basic education schools fell from 2,719 in 2011 to 1,975 in 2024, and it projects that the network could shrink to about 1,500 schools by 2040.

Becoming a principal

The qualification requirements are set by the Decree on Qualification Requirements for Teaching Staff (Asetus opetustoimen henkilöstön kelpoisuusvaatimuksista, 986/1998, as amended). For principals in basic and general upper secondary education, the decree requires a master’s degree, a teacher qualification for the type of education concerned and sufficient work experience in teaching posts. The candidate must also have knowledge of educational administration, shown in one of three ways: the educational administration examination (opetushallinnon tutkinto) based on criteria approved by EDUFI; university studies in educational administration of at least 25 ECTS credits; or adequate knowledge of educational administration acquired in some other way.

EDUFI’s 15-credit examination has two written papers, one on administration and education funding and one on the principal’s leadership roles. Universities, such as Jyväskylä, offer the 25-credit route as part-time study alongside work. There is no compulsory national preparation programme.

Principals are appointed by their employer. According to Eurydice, recruitment is open, posts are publicly advertised, and education providers set their own selection criteria. Every school must have a principal responsible for its operations and an appointed substitute; schools may also have vice principals.

The principal’s role

The principal is responsible for the school’s operations and, according to Eurydice, typically recruits its staff. The regular working time of principals is 36 hours 15 minutes a week, organised flexibly, and principals need not spend all of it at school.

Many principals in basic education also teach. Under the national collective agreement for teaching staff (OVTES, 2022 text), a principal’s weekly teaching obligation depends on the size of the school, measured by the number of groups used for pay purposes (palkkaperusteryhmät): the smaller the school, the more lessons the principal teaches.

Evidence on workload comes mainly from the annual Principal Barometer (Rehtoribarometri), conducted by the University of Helsinki and started on the initiative of the Finnish Principals’ Association. In the 2024 round, answered by nearly 800 principals, exhaustion had begun to ease after a sharp rise between 2019 and 2023, although the association’s chair noted that the situation was still far from pre-pandemic levels. The volume of work and time pressure were the main sources of stress. Finland also took part in TALIS 2024 (see our datasets page).

Inspection and school evaluation

Finland abolished school inspection in the early 1990s, and Eurydice describes its quality assurance as based on trust and responsibility. There are no school inspectors. Section 21 of the Basic Education Act requires education providers to evaluate the education they provide and to take part in external evaluation of their activities; how self-evaluation is carried out is decided locally.

External evaluation is the task of Karvi, which began work in May 2014 under the Act on the Finnish Education Evaluation Centre (1295/2013) and has operated since 2017 as an independent unit within EDUFI. Its work follows a four-year national plan for education evaluation, currently for 2024–2027. Karvi carries out sample-based evaluations of learning outcomes, in which, according to Eurydice, about 5–10% of an age group take part, as well as thematic and system-level evaluations, and it supports providers’ quality management. For the contrast with inspection-based models, see educational supervision models.

Teacher appraisal and professional development

There is no national system of teacher appraisal. Education at a Glance 2026 (OECD, published 29 September 2026) names Finland as one of four systems among the 30 it covers with no policy framework for teacher appraisal in primary and secondary education. Drawing on TALIS 2024 data for lower secondary teachers, it reports that at least one in six Finnish teachers work in a school where teachers are never formally appraised, and that Finnish teachers are mostly appraised by only one actor, usually the principal.

According to Eurydice, most teachers hold tenured posts, in most cases with a municipality as employer. Besides lessons, their duties include planning, preparation and cooperation with colleagues, homes and other partners.

Current reforms and debates

Policy since 2023 has been shaped by the Orpo government’s programme (June 2023) and by concern about falling learning outcomes. In PISA 2022, Finland scored 484 in mathematics, 490 in reading and 511 in science, above the OECD averages but below its earlier results; mathematics was 64 points lower than in 2006. In PISA 2025, released by the OECD on 8 September 2026, Finland scored 504 in science, 474 in reading and 469 in mathematics, against OECD averages of 482, 461 and 463. The Ministry of Education and Culture reported that in reading and mathematics the rise in low performers and the fall in top performers were larger in Finland than across the OECD, and that science scores differed markedly by immigrant background. These figures describe trends, not their causes.

The main legislative changes are as follows. A reform of learning support in pre-primary and basic education took effect mainly on 1 August 2025, and amendments adding lesson time for basic skills also took effect in 2025. From 1 August 2025, an amendment to the Basic Education Act bars pupils from using mobile devices during lessons unless a teacher allows it for learning, or a teacher or principal allows it for health reasons. On 15 June 2026, Parliament approved a further amendment (government proposal HE 35/2026) presented as a “competence guarantee” (osaamistakuu). It moves rules on pupil assessment and grade progression into the Basic Education Act, and the government’s stated aim is to define a minimum level of competence in basic skills. The main assessment provisions are due to apply from 1 August 2028, with revised national core curriculum regulations to precede them. Together, these changes require schools to revise local curricula, support arrangements and school rules.

Fiscal consolidation is the other theme. In April 2024, according to the public broadcaster Yle, general upper secondary students at about 140 schools walked out in protest at cuts announced in the government’s 2025–2028 fiscal plan, which included about €100 million from vocational education. Eurydice reports that a government grant to strengthen inter-municipal cooperation in basic education was to start in early 2026.

Comparison with Turkey

The two systems differ most in who controls access to the principalship and how schools are held to account. Finland sets minimum qualifications nationally but leaves selection to the municipality; Turkey selects principals through a national written examination and a training programme at the National Education Academy, with appointment by the provincial governor (see how school principals are appointed in Turkey). Turkey retains a two-level inspectorate, while Finland relies on self-evaluation and national evaluation by Karvi (see education inspectors in Turkey).

FeatureFinlandTurkey
Who appoints principalsEducation provider (usually the municipality), through open recruitmentProvincial governor, on the proposal of the provincial director of national education
Route to the postMaster’s degree, teacher qualification, teaching experience and knowledge of educational administrationServing teacher; written examination; training programme at the National Education Academy
Term of officeSet by the employer; no national term limitFour-year terms, at most eight years at the same school
External inspectionNone since the early 1990sMinistry Inspection Board and provincial education inspectors
Teacher appraisalNo national framework; usually by the principal where it occurs2025 directive on lesson observation by principals stayed by the Council of State in 2026

Key takeaways

  • Finnish principals must meet nationally defined qualifications, including knowledge of educational administration, but are recruited and appointed locally by their employer.
  • Finland has had no school inspectorate since the early 1990s; providers must evaluate their own education, and Karvi conducts sample-based national evaluations.
  • There is no national framework for teacher appraisal; according to the OECD, Finnish teachers are mostly appraised by one actor, usually the principal.
  • Since 2023, reforms have focused on basic skills, learning support, mobile devices and pupil assessment, against a background of declining PISA results, budget cuts and a shrinking school network.

Sources

Last reviewed: October 2026

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