Teachers for downsizing class at basic education: survey

Majority of the teachers at Finnish basic education level (grades 1-9) underscored the need for bringing reforms in schools through downsizing the number of students in the class, according to a survey.

The survey commissioned by the Trade Union of Education in Finland (Opetusalan Ammattijärjestö- OAJ) said that more than two-thirds of teachers consider that their students do not get sufficient support for their learning due to the big size of the classroom and viewed that limiting class sizes was the most important issue needed to be addressed in basic education, said OAJ in a press release on Tuesday.

The survey also revealed that the teachers of the high school level expressed dissatisfaction over the poor skill of the students.

About 90 percent of the respondents observed that the study skills of high school students have weakened while 80 percent viewed that students' life management skills weakened.

“The government must ensure special protection of education and allocate adequate funding for training,” OAJ president Katarina Murto said in the release.

The survey was conducted from February 9 to February 29 where 1459 teachers of basic education responded while 766 high schools teachers responded in the survey conducted from January 19 to February 4.