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Suomi järjestää ensimmäisenä Pohjoismaana kansainvälisen opetusministereiden ja opettajajärjestöjen huippukokouksen 14.–15.3.2019. Kokoukseen on kutsuttu PISA-testeissä parhaiten menestyneet ja omaa osaamistasoaan vahvasti nostaneet maat.

In order to maintain the Finnish welfare society and its services also in the future, we must resolve how to increase the working age population in Finland. We must also open the doors of our welfare society to people arriving from other countries.

Education helps us ensure that culture is shared by all people living and arriving in Finland. We must offer education and training to people of all ages. Competent teachers at every step from early childhood education and care (ECEC) to adult education and training want to work towards promoting the studies and employment of everyone in Finland. OAJ treats internationality as well as cultural and people diversity as an opportunity. Although considerable effort has been taken to promote integration, there is still work to be done. OAJ highlights that education is the best form of integration.

Education falls under the mandate of national government. This should remain so also in the future. The EU is nevertheless an important influencer of education policy, as it sets common goals and objectives for member states and influences the development of education systems.

Inequality, social exclusion or for example unemployment and increasing lack of skilled people in Finland as elsewhere in Europe demands new thinking from us. When the future seems uncertain and insecure, we need solutions which build a better tomorrow and future. Fortunately, we already know the answer, don’t we? Education. Training. Science. Research. #koulutusratkaisee

The annual Educa trade fair organised by the Trade Union of Education in Finland, OAJ, will bring together thousands of Finnish teachers. One of the key events will be a panel featuring the top names in party politics, who will be challenged on the future of education, training and research.

OAJ is an active influencer of education policy. Heljä Misukka, OAJ’s Director of Educational Policy, is currently attending The ETUCE Special Conference in Athens, Greece. Read up on the current issues of education policy in Finland.

OAJ has decided to stop the overtime and shift-trading ban in private day-care centres.

OAJ has decided to continue the overtime and shift-trading ban in private day-care centres.

The overtime and shift-trading ban initiated by OAJ in private day-care centres began today, 8 October. The ban is in protest of the Finnish government’s intentions to weaken employees’ protection against dismissal in small companies.

OAJ is initiating an overtime and shift-trading ban in private day-care centres on Monday, 8 October at 00.01 a.m. The political protest is in response to the Finnish government’s plan to weaken protection against dismissal in small businesses. Negotiations Director Petri Lindroos explains the situation.

The parliamentary elections to be held next spring will once again determine the direction of education, training and research, and that of publicly funded services. For that reason, this autumn and the coming winter will be a time for our sector to boldly exert its influence, says president Olli Luukkainen in his letter to OAJ-members.

Opetusalan Ammattijärjestö OAJ, the Trade Union of Education is a strong voice for those working in the education, training, and research sectors in Finland. We have over 120 000 members from early childhood education level to university lecturers.

The Ministers of Education and teacher union leaders from the high-performing education countries meet in Finland next spring.

Education is in the core of each civilized and progress striving nation, said Olli Luukkainen in his opening speech of the OAJ Council's spring meeting.