Page 56 - EW July 2024

International News

LETTER FROM AMERICA FINLAND
Dog & student trials Contradictory policies

o you ever watch dog trials? EDUCATION LEADERS HAVE DESCRIBED
I find them fascinating. Finnish government plans to charge full-cost tu-
DDogs herd sheep, run over ition fees to students from outside the European
obstacles, catch frisbees, and seek Union as “paradoxical”, as the country hopes to significantly
by scent and sight. They exhaust increase its international student intake.
themselves in these contests. They
do it joyfully. It is a fulfillment of LARRY ARNN At present, Helsinki subsidises the higher education of
their nature. students from outside the EU or the European Economic
Students too face numerous trials. The most intense Area (EEA), although some universities already charge full-
are examinations that come at the end of each year and, cost fees. In early June, the Ministry of Education and Cul-
the worst (or best), just before graduation. In America ture set out proposed amendments to Finland’s Universities
and India, these are high stakes trials. They can have last- Act and its Universities of Applied Science Act, which would
ing impact on lives and careers. result in students from non-EU and non-EEA countries re-
Working in a college, I often witness students con-
fronting these trials. They prompt me to think of the dog quired to pay the full cost of their tuition if it is taught in a
trials I like to watch. Yet students don’t seem to be hav- language other than Finnish or Swedish.
ing as much fun as dogs. I believe the difference is in “Charging fees for tuition at
the nature of the two species. Dogs have a nature, as do full cost aims to improve the
all beings. Running and jumping, seeking and fetching finances of higher education
fulfills that nature. They love to do it. institutions and to encourage
Humans have a nature too: it is to learn and gath- foreigners studying in Finland
er knowledge. We can find our highest joy in them. Of
course, we do not have to learn and grow. We are free to to remain in the country,” Sari
choose among many interests and pursuits, and we can Multala, the minister of science
give them the wrong priority. Relaxation instead of work; and culture, said in a statement.
watching TV instead of reading; playing video games in- Students from outside the EU or
stead of solving equations. There is nothing wrong with the EEA would also be required Sari Multala
any of these choices, but TV and video games will ruin to pay application fees, a move
you if you give them highest priority. the ministry says is aimed at reducing “injudicious and low-
Coming back to summative examinations, these hu-
man dog trials are usually not enjoyable even if they are quality applications”.
necessary. Let me suggest two ways to make them more When news of the government plans first circulated last
enjoyable and successful. year, a coalition of academic and professional unions de-
The first is to reduce focus on the immediate outcome, scribed them “a disaster” in terms of Finland’s long-term
the score you will get. I’m aware that exam scores are im- plans to make higher education in the country more inter-
portant, but they don’t guarantee success. Focus instead national. Previously, the Finnish government established a
on the work of learning. If you do it with discipline, you goal of attracting 15,000 international students by 2030, in
will inevitably get high scores. Get plenty of rest. Elimi-
nate distractions. Focus. Give your best hours to the most an effort to reduce workplace shortages and rebalance an
important tasks. Pursue them intensely. ageing population. “Because Finland needs foreigners, it’s a
These practices are ways to master yourself in every bit paradoxical to make it less attractive for them to come,”
activity. They will make you a person of moral virtue. Kai Nordlund, vice-rector at the University of Helsinki, told
That is half of happiness. Times Higher Education. “Many of those who came here
The second recommendation is to focus about the ul- because of low tuition fees have stayed in the country and
timate outcome which is not to pass a test, but to learn. are contributing to national development.”
History, literature, physics, mathematics and chemistry
are wonderful, valuable to everyone. Your goal should be The impact of the amendments differs among universi-
to make your knowledge of them last. Master key con- ties depending on their current practices. “Some universities
cepts and the knowledge they contain. This will make you provide a very high fraction of scholarships, which means
a learned person, a person of intellectual virtue. That is that their income from tuition fees has been very low. Oth-
the other half of happiness. ers, like our university, have collected fairly high tuition fees
Trials are more important to humans than to dogs. For and given fewer scholarships,” he explains. “For these uni-
us they are occasions to grow morally and intellectually. versities, the difference made by the new law will be small,
You can become a knowledgeable and happy person if you
learn to accept challenges as opportunities to grow. And because they’ve more or less been at this level of recovering
you might be admitted to IIT — or Hillsdale. the cost of the education already,” says Nordlund.
Harri Halva, senior marketing specialist for the Finnish
(Dr. Larry Arnn is President, Hillsdale College, USA. National Agency for Education’s ‘Study in Finland’ scheme,
letteramerica@hillsdale.edu)
shares a similar perspective. “Moving to full tuition fees,

56 EDUCATIONWORLD JULY 2024