The 3rd China-Finland Principals (Basic Education) Forum ended Tuesday at the University of Lapland in Rovaniemi adopting the aim to build an international communication, cooperation, and development platform.
A large number of experts, academicians, administrators, and diplomats took part in the 2-day forum organised jointly by the Finland-China Education Association (FICEA) and the University of Lapland. The forum this year analysed the most updated outcome of Finnish new curriculum reform and the transversal competence nurturing results in 2016 in addition to focusing key issues such as the school management, leadership reframe, curriculum design, and learning environment design in depth.
University of Lapland Teacher Training School Principal Heikki Ervast in his keynote paper titled ‘Assessment in Basic Education – The New Basic Education Curriculum in Finland’ pointed out the goals of the reform. “The curriculum reform aims at ensuring that the knowledge and skills of Finnish children and youths will remain strong in the future both in national contexts as well as international,” said Ervast in the paper. Some key goals of the reform include enhancing pupil participation, increasing the meaningfulness of study and making it possible for each and every pupil to experience success, he added.
About a dozen of keynote papers were presented in the forum on various aspects of education.
Earlier, on Monday morning, FICEA Chairman Jari Andersson inaugurated the session through a welcome speech. Among others, University of Lapland Rector Mauri Ylä-Kotola, Rovaniemi City Council Chairman Heikki Autto, and the head of the education section at the Chinese embassy Yuhang Gao addressed the opening session.
Mauri Ylä-Kotola in his speech focused on the successes of the University of Lapland, pointing out that about 25 per cent of the lawyers in Finland graduated from the university. He said the Renmin University of China and the University of Lapland started a law-student-exchange programme in 2006.
Yuhang Gao shared his experience of the education scenario of Finland and China. Referring to the public opinions, he said Finnish students have an easy study-life, if students want to go to university or they want to study abroad, they can go for that.
Heikki Autto in his address narrated the growth in Rovaniemi business sector and the participation of the Chinese people. He also pointed out the huge growth in the tourism sector in Rovaniemi and the influx Chinese tourists here.
(The original text refers to: https://www.dailyfinland.fi/education/2431/China-Finland-principals-forum-ends, some of the content has been edited)
