Finland has recently published the report of a working group consisting of development and education specialists, confirming stronger cooperation in the areas of development cooperation and education. This includes utilizing the strength of Finland’s country brand as an “education nation,” and tying education exports and development cooperation together tighter. A strength is Finland’s holistic approach from pre-primary education all the way through to vocational / higher education, including teacher training, development of learning environments, as well as quality measurement and assurance. The report calls for increased cooperation between different players involved in the Finnish system, including public, private and third sector organisations, to leverage the strengths of each.

Finland’s development cooperation has already previously stressed e.g. rights of women & children and sustainable livelihoods, so this is well in line with the previous agenda. The role of education in humanitarian work will be increased, and inclusive teaching in the Mother tongue of the child will be stressed. This goes hand in hand well with the need for more personalized learning, and the understanding of the importance of education in knowledge economies not just nationally but globally: children in developing countries just as much as anyone anywhere need access to quality education to be able to gain access to equal opportunities later in life.

In a humanitarian setting the expanding institutional location of learning definitely comes into play: children fleeing from war, natural disasters or for other reasons do not have stable access to education in the form of one school building that they are able to attend for years, instead learning may happen at times formally, at times informally in a refugee camp or informal settlement. This definitely exacerbates the need for lifelong and lifewide learning opportunities, so that children, youth and adults whose schooling has been disrupted can continue their education and pick up learning new skills whenever and wherever the situation permits. This definitely calls for an emphasis on learning technology, especially inclusive tech that families on the move have access to – the broadest reach is by far mobile technologies.

Source: Foreign Ministry of Finland, press release 7.2.2019 https://um.fi/press-releases/-/asset_publisher/ued5t2wDmr1C/content/suomen-vahvistettava-rooliaan-globaalin-oppimisen-kriisin-ratkaisemisessa?curAsset=0&stId=44227