Raise in Compulsory Education Age Suggested
Image: YLE
Minister of Education Tuula Haatainen proposes raising the compulsory education age requirement to 18.
Haatainen told the newspaper Uutispäivä Demari that the current age limit of 16 is based on an existing law which is over 80 years old, and that reforms in the system are long overdue.
She said that most people would agree that a 16-year-old is still a child and should continue his or her education.
The minister noted that 5.5 percent of all the students in Finland finish their education at 16.
Haatainen wants to offer alternate options to those students who do not get a place in high school or trade school. YLE24, Uutispäivä Demari