Green League chair Touko Aalto says his party will soon be submitting an interpellation to government concerning increased inequality in Finnish education. An interpellation effectively amounts to a vote of no confidence.
Aalto said on Saturday that many students do not acquire the necessary reading and writing skills to continue their studies after basic education, which may lead to social exclusion.
In their alternative budget the Greens have proposed that half a billion euros more be directed toward improving education. Suggested improvements would include raising the quality of basic education, increasing the number of starting slots at polytechnic schools and attaching education costs to the cost-of-living index.
"Increased inequality in education is no longer a mere threat, but something that happens every day," Aalto says. "The significance of elements such as a student's neighbourhood, family background and gender has increased in relation to scholastic performance."
Aalto criticises the government for neglecting the growing problems in the education sector.