School: role model Finland? The truth about what was once the best school system in the world

EThere are findings that politicians can hardly sugarcoat. “We are no longer the best educated country. Our young people are no longer the smartest.” With these words, Anita Lehikoinen, State Secretary in the Finnish Ministry of Education, commented on the findings of a study by her ministry. With the admission, the politician has fueled a heated national debate in her country about the problems in Finnish schools.

For German observers, the discussion comes as a surprise.