moves

Again Finland woke from a slumber into a nightmare. Less than 11 months after the Jokela school shooting a similar tragedy repeated in Kauhajoki.

STAKES (National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health) reported in July 2008 Dialogi magazine that the state has not taken responsibility of formulating a comprehensive national account of school curatorial and psychological resources. 

The need for more resources was recognised in 1973 and a committee proposed that by mid-80’s in Finland should be established 500 posts for school psychiatrists and another 500 for school curators. But professor Matti Rimpelä from STAKES states that the general interest in resources for children and youngsters died out already in the early 80’s.

Rimpelä has tried to find the data for 1980’s but all of it has disappeared which, he says, well describes the attitude. Since then, only two questionnaires were carried out: in 1990-91 Finland had 201 curators and 123 psychiatrists, in 1993-94 just a tad more. During the 90’s the burden on the resources grew a lot. After 1994 no studies have been made: no-one knows the numbers of today.

Meanwhile, Finland has been internationally shining for its success in the PISA studies. Thousands of experts have traveled to Finland to learn from the educational wonderland. It goes without saying that, a study of the “PISA tourism” has already been carried out.

So, has the country been dreaming about unlimited marvels of the uncontrolled economy while making of decisions has been handed over to the business world? Has it been a dream where everyone takes care of themselves only? Also within families.