The government proposed a comprehensive reform of the legislation on basic education in the arts, said the Ministry of Education and Culture in a press release on Thursday.
The aim is to clarify the structure of basic education in the arts and improve access to instruction across different art disciplines and fields.
The proposal would also introduce a single syllabus and reform the criteria for central government transfers to municipalities.
Under the proposal, the regulation on basic education in the arts would in future apply to all fields of art without the current distinction between music institutes and other fields of art.
However, instruction would continue to be based on curricula prepared in accordance with the core curriculum determined by the Finnish National Agency for Education.
A structural change is proposed for basic education in the arts whereby the current general and extended syllabuses would be replaced with a single national syllabus.
The scope of the syllabus would be 50 credits, corresponding to 800 teaching hours. Students who complete the whole scope of the syllabus would be entitled to a school-leaving certificate for basic education in the arts.
To ensure children and young people have access to basic education in the arts in situations where the number of applicants exceeds the number of student places, the provisions on student admissions would be supplemented.
The new act would include provisions requiring applicants under 18 years of age to be prioritised in admissions procedures.
Central government transfers to municipalities would largely remain unchanged.
According to the proposal, lessons would continue to serve as the funding unit for central government transfers, and funding would continue to be based on an annually adjusted unit price. The central government transfer percentage would remain at 57 per cent.
In addition to the actual number of lessons, the actual number of students and the number of students who complete the syllabus would be taken into account in determining the funding.
The regional availability of education would also be considered. Under the proposal, the national budget would annually set a joint maximum number of funding units for all fields of art within basic education in the arts.
The proposed law would also clarify the provisions concerning authorisations to provide education.
Authorisations would continue to be granted on professional and financial grounds, but providers would also be required to demonstrate sufficient operational capacity for the appropriate provision of education, as well as a national or regional need for the education and training offered.
Basic education in the arts is provided primarily for children and young people on an extracurricular basis. Basic arts education is provided at music institutes and schools, art schools, dance institutes and schools, handicrafts schools and other educational institutions.
Basic education in the different fields of art progresses in a goal-oriented manner from one level to the next and provides students with the skills to express themselves as well as the ability to apply for vocational training and education or higher education in this field.
The proposal relates to the 2027 budget proposal and is intended to be considered in connection with it.
The amended legislation is scheduled to enter into force on 1 August 2027.
- Education in arts
- All fields
- Proposal
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
