Sunday, August 24, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

Homeschooling increases in Finland

Published 1 August 2025
– By Editorial Staff
2 minute read

More and more children are receiving homeschooling in Finland – a trend that gained momentum during the coronavirus crisis and has continued to grow since then. Lack of support in schools and increased awareness are cited as reasons, while authorities warn of knowledge risks.

During the coronavirus crisis, more and more people began working from home in Finland, as in other countries. More children were also taught remotely, especially during spring 2020 when all schools except preschools were closed for about two months. Since then, homeschooling has increased in the country, even after the end of the coronavirus crisis.

In 2020, 585 children received homeschooling, which was then an increase of a quarter from the year before. Last year, the figure had increased to 881 children.

Unlike in Sweden, where compulsory schooling is stricter and it is therefore more difficult to get permission for homeschooling, it is significantly easier in Finland. No special permit is required to homeschool children.

In Sweden, it has become more common to move to Åland (an autonomous Finnish territory) to escape Sweden’s compulsory schooling laws, where, like in Finland, it is easier to homeschool children. In 2024, 95 percent of all homeschooled children in Åland were Swedes, according to tax-funded SVT (Swedish public television).

Awareness has increased

Marjukka Saarnisto, vice chairman of the homeschool association Suomen kotikouluyhdistys, sees several reasons why more parents choose to homeschool their children.

Awareness has increased while problems in elementary school have increased. Nowadays parents dare to make courageous decisions regarding the child’s best interests, she tells Finnish public broadcaster Yle.

It can also involve issues such as bullying or lack of support for the student that leads parents to choose homeschooling. A common phenomenon is that many believe that homeschooled children are isolated from society, a myth that Saarnisto says is not true.

Children who are taught at home also have friends. They have hobbies and even have more time and energy for them than children in elementary school.

A challenge

Education counselor Riia Palmqvist from the Finnish National Agency for Education believes the increase is due to the fact that remote work increased during the coronavirus crisis and that many Finns still work remotely. Since there is no remote alternative for elementary school, parents instead choose homeschooling.

However, Palmqvist emphasizes that homeschooling is demanding and that there is a risk that the child will not gain sufficient competence to continue studying.

It can be difficult to get into upper secondary school or vocational school if you don’t have proof of your competence, she says.

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Finland: Should children be forced to take care of their aging parents?

Welfare collapse

Published 20 August 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Critics note that many elderly people have no family or close relatives who can help them.
4 minute read

An explosive debate has erupted about the future of elderly care in Finland, where pension company CEO Risto Murto argues that society will soon no longer be able to afford caring for elderly citizens – and that responsibility must therefore be transferred to families.

Several politicians reject the proposal, however, arguing that it is the welfare state’s duty to care for its aging population in a dignified manner.

With the number of elderly Finns expected to increase from 600,000 to 900,000 people in just fifteen years, the country faces a demographic time bomb. Now Risto Murto, CEO of the occupational pension company Varma, has caused major controversy by declaring that Finland will not be able to afford today’s public elderly care in the future.

His solution? That adult children instead take over responsibility for their aging parents.

The statement has prompted several Finnish politicians to protest, and members of parliament in the Social Affairs and Health Committee clearly oppose the proposal, reports Svenska Yle.

— We shouldn’t go in that direction, says Henrik Wickström from the Swedish People’s Party (a Finnish political party representing the Swedish-speaking minority) firmly.

— We must find other solutions, argues Maaret Castrén from the National Coalition Party.

Number of elderly increasing rapidly

The demographic development that worries Risto Murto is brutal in its simplicity: Fewer and fewer children are being born while the number of elderly is increasing rapidly. From today’s just over 600,000 people over 75 years old, the figure is calculated to rise to approximately 900,000 in fifteen years.

But for MP Henrik Wickström, elderly care is non-negotiable.

— The major challenge is the shortage of nursing homes. We haven’t managed to develop services at the pace that the population is aging, says Wickström, pointing out that elderly care is a fundamental responsibility of the welfare society.

Maaret Castrén is even sharper in her criticism:

— Future elderly care cannot depend on families taking care of their elderly. That cannot be something we work toward.

“Not all elderly have children”

The Center Party’s Hanna-Leena Mattila acknowledges that the statement is understandable given the state’s strained finances, but points to fundamental problems with the proposal.

— Not all elderly have children, so how can we guarantee that everyone is treated equally if responsibility is placed on the family? she asks rhetorically.

Research doctor Sarah Åkerman at Åbo Akademi University (a Finnish university) warns of the consequences of romanticizing the image of family caregiving.

— It’s often demanding and involves much more than socializing over a cup of coffee, says Åkerman.

She also points out that relatives already carry a heavy burden in Finland, despite generous elderly care.

— Relatives already do a lot, and it’s not obvious that adult children can take on even more responsibility.

Critics point to several serious consequences if family responsibility were to increase. Many Finns live alone and lack children. Those who have children of working age would be forced to reduce their working hours, threatening employment rates.

The risk of increased inequality is also said to be great. Some can afford to buy private help, while others are forced to sacrifice their careers.

— When my mother became ill this spring, my retired sister could help the most. The rest of us in the family are still working and couldn’t help as much, relates Maaret Castrén.

Sarah Åkerman emphasizes the problem further:

— Being someone’s child doesn’t automatically make you a caregiver.

It becomes particularly difficult when dealing with dementia or other complicated care that requires education and professional competence that children typically lack.

“Heartbreaking when elderly feel like a burden”

Despite the resistance, politicians acknowledge that something must be done. If the state’s economy continues to deteriorate, the model where families take greater responsibility could become reality, according to Risto Murto.

But alternative solutions exist. Maaret Castrén highlights community housing and home healthcare as cost-effective models. Henrik Wickström places his hope in digital technology and preventive measures. Hanna-Leena Mattila proposes a form of “elderly care leave”, similar to parental leave, for those who need to care for an aging parent.

But for Mattila, the issue is about more than economics. She tells of her meetings with elderly people who are worried that society sees them as a burden.

— It’s heartbreaking when elderly feel like a burden to society. We as decision-makers in social and healthcare have much to work on so that elderly care is sustainable and everyone can age safely in the future. The only solution cannot be to place more responsibility on adult children, says Hanna-Leena Mattila.

Finns ate more meat last year

Published 21 June 2025
– By Editorial Staff
1 minute read

Last year, people in Finland ate more meat and chicken than the year before. At the same time, oat consumption set a new record in the Finnish diet, according to a new study.

Last year, Finns ate 78.2 kilograms of meat per person, including game and offal. Most of the meat, 76.2 kilograms, was beef, pork, lamb and chicken.

The consumption of beef in particular has decreased for several years in a row, but last year it increased, according to a survey by the Finnish Natural Resources Institute. The amount of chicken on the plate also increased in Finnish homes. At the same time, less pork and mutton was eaten. The consumption of fish remained seemingly unchanged, with each Finn eating an average of 13.7 kilograms last year.

Cereal consumption increased last year, reaching 87.3 kg per person. The main increase was in the amount of oats consumed, which reached record levels last year. Wheat and barley consumption also increased, while rye decreased.

– Here we see something of a trend. This is because the food industry has created a lot of new oat products. Part of this trend is also that Finns are drinking more oat milk, says statistics expert Erja Mikkola, to Finnish state broadcaster Yle.

Regular milk drinking decreased by about two percent, but people ate about the same amount of butter and cheese as in the previous year. Furthermore, each Finn ate an average of 48 kilograms of fruit and 64 kilograms of vegetables last year.

Rapid increase in antidepressants and ADHD medicines in Finland

Published 10 June 2025
– By Editorial Staff
One fifth of Finnish women under 30 are currently taking antidepressants.
1 minute read

The use of antidepressants has increased sharply in Finland over the past decade, compared to the other Nordic countries. Prescription of ADHD medication for children has also increased significantly.

One fifth of women aged 18-29 use antidepressants, according to a survey by the Finnish Social Insurance Institution (Kela). Among men of the same age, the figure is eight percent. The figures are double those of 2014.

According to studies, mood and anxiety disorders have become more common, especially among young girls and women. The diagnoses of depression, anxiety disorders and sleep disorders are also increasingly visible in the health care records of young women, says Miika Vuori, Senior Researcher at Kela, in a press release.

Furthermore, adhd medication for children has also increased in the country. Last year, 11% of boys and 4% of girls aged 7-12 were prescribed medication for ADHD. When comparing Swedish and Finnish boys aged 5-9, 6% of Finnish boys used ADHD medication last year, while the corresponding proportion in Sweden was just over 2%. The use of antidepressants among young people has also increased faster in Finland than in the other Nordic countries over the past ten years.

The increase in the use of these two drugs has been strong in Finland, not only in comparison with Sweden but also with Norway and Denmark, says Vuori.

Finnish youth evicted at record pace

Published 3 June 2025
– By Editorial Staff
The number of evictions due to unpaid housing costs has increased fivefold in just three years.
1 minute read

A growing number of young Finns are being evicted from their rental properties due to unpaid rent. Lack of personal finance skills is cited as one of the main reasons.

Debt problems have increased significantly among Finns, with the number of payment reminders increasing tenfold since 2021. During the same period, the number of collections related to unpaid housing costs has increased twentyfold.

At the same time, the number of evictions is increasing – in 2024, 10% of collections for unpaid housing costs have led to eviction, compared to only 2% three years ago.

The problem exists across all age groups, but is particularly pronounced among young adults. It is highest among people under 25, and so far this year, as many young people have run into problems with rent arrears as in the whole of 2023.

“Everything has gone digital”

At Finnish debt collection company Intrum, the impression is that young people do not learn to manage their finances as they grow up and that an unpaid bill is often a matter of forgetfulness.

– They don’t necessarily understand the consequences of not paying a bill, said Reetta Lehessaari, Head of Debt Collection Services, to the Finnish state broadcaster Yle, and continued:

– Apparently, people no longer learn to pay bills at home in the same way as before. Everything has gone digital. Young people no longer see bills being paid in concrete terms.

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