Keywords
national identity
Finland
metanarratives
internationalization of education
Finnish media
How to Cite
Abstract
Education export is a relatively new endeavour for Finnish institutions traditionally reliant on government funding. Inspired by Finland’s PISA success and globalisation imperatives, since the second half of the 2010s, Finnish education institutions have been encouraged to enter the global education market as for-profit providers of education. This article examines how Finnish national identity is (re)constructed and contested within the context of education export debates from 2010 to 2023. Using media materials, it presents nine metanarratives that characterise Finland’s role in education export, exploring motivations, and the portrayal of Finland and ‘Finnishness. This study reveals diverse roles for Finland, as a benefactor to an exploiter, and as a leading exporter to a marginal and too modest an exporter. The key referent group for the national identity consists of Western education-exporting countries. The findings offer insights into the evolving nature of Finland’s national identity and its place in the global education market, influenced by the changing political environment.
References
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YLE Primary Data
Translations of news titles from Finnish into English made by AI (Copilot). Checked and revised by the author.
5.6.2010. Urpilainen pitää kiinni valtion osakesalkusta (5 June 2010. Urpilainen holds on to the state share portfolio)
15.6.2010. JY aloittaa mittavan koulutusviennin Abu Dhabiin (15 June 2010. University of Jyväskylä begins extensive education export to Abu Dhabi)
18.6.2010. Abu Dhabiin odottavaisin mielin (18 June 2010. Looking forward to Abu Dhabi)
25.1.2012 Suomen koulutusvienti ei vastaa Pisa-menestystä (25 January 2012. Finland’s education export does not match Pisa success)
2.5.2012 “Suomalaista koulutusta ei voi viedä” (2 May 2012. “Finnish education cannot be exported”)
2.7.2012, Koulutuksesta viritetään vientivalttia (2 July 2012. Education is being tuned into an export asset)
1.6.2013 Presidentti Niinistö: Opettajan rooli ei sovi Suomelle (1 June 2013. President Niinistö: The role of a teacher does not suit Finland)
30.9.2013 Kolmen yliopiston yhteisyritys perustetaan ─ myy koulutuspalveluita ulkomaille (30 September 2013. Joint venture of three universities established ─ sells educational services abroad)
10.10.2013 Koulutusviennistä Suomen seuraava Nokia? (10 October 2013. Will education export be Finland’s next Nokia?)
5.11.2013 Hallituspuolueet erimielisiä mahdollisista opiskelumaksuista (5 November 2013. Government parties disagree on possible tuition fees)
25.11.2013 Jyväskylän ammattikorkeakoulu vie sairaanhoitajakoulutusta Kiinaan (25 November 2013. Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences exports nursing education to China)
17.12.2013 Suomalaisesta opetuksesta uusi vientituote - riskit ja voitot suuria (17 December 2013. Finnish education as a new export product - risks and rewards are high)
25.2.2014. Satakuntalaista meriosaamista Namibiaan - tehtävää on vielä paljon (25 February 2014. Maritime expertise from Satakunta to Namibia - much work remains)
19.3.2014 Suomi hautoo valttiässää - koulutusrahat valuvat muille (19 March 2014. Finland is hatching a trump card - education funds are flowing elsewhere)
8.11.2014 Peliyhtiön johtaja: Suomalaisen koulutuksen brändiä ei osata hyödyntää (8 November 2014. Gaming company director: Finnish education brand is not being utilized)
23.12.2014. Ulkomaalaisten lukuvuosimaksun lykkääntyminen hidastaa koulutusvientiä (23 December 2014. Delay in foreign students’ tuition fees slows down education export)
22.4.2015 Suomalaisten yliopistojen tähtäimessä Kaakkois-Aasia (22 April 2015. Finnish universities target Southeast Asia)
28.5.2015. Koulutusvienti ulkomaille – vaihtoehto korkeakoulujen lukukausimaksuille (28 May 2015. Education export abroad – an alternative to university tuition fees)
22.10.2015. Ulkomaalaisille opiskelijoille vähintään 1500 euron lukuvuosimaksu – Grahn-Laasonen: Opiskelijamäärät tippuvat vain aluksi (22 October 2015. At least €1500 annual tuition fee for foreign students – Grahn-Laasonen: Student numbers will only drop initially)
28.10.2015 Somaliopiskelijat lähtevät opettamaan käsienpesua synnyinmaahansa (28 October 2015. Somali students go to teach handwashing in their homeland)
19.11.2015 Lappeenrannan yliopisto aloittaa koulutusviennin Saudi-Arabiaan – 20 opiskelijaa ydintekniikan oppiin Suomeen (19 November 2015. Lappeenranta University starts education export to Saudi Arabia – 20 students to study nuclear technology in Finland)
1.12.2015 Persianlahden öljyvaltiot hamuavat suomalaista koulutusosaamista: Jo neljäs Suomi- koulu suunnitteilla Saudi-Arabiaan (1 December 2015. Gulf oil states crave Finnish educational expertise: Fourth Finnish school planned in Saudi Arabia)
27.1.2016. Suomalainen yliopistokoulutus tähyää Kaakkois-Aasian markkinoille – koulutusvienti alkanut hyvin uuden yhtiön myötä (27 January 2016. Finnish university education eyes Southeast Asian markets – education export off to a good start with new company)
12.4.2016 JAMK kasvattaa koulutusvientiä (12 April 2016. Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences increases education export)
30.5.2016 Nettistudio: Pekkarinen ja Paloniemi peräänkuuluttavat koordinaatiota koulutusvientiin (30 May 2016. Yle Internet studio: Pekkarinen and Paloniemi call for coordination in education export)
4.10.2016. Opetusministeri: Saudi-Arabia lähettää jopa tuhat opettajaa Suomeen (4 October 2016. Minister of Education: Saudi Arabia to send up to a thousand teachers to Finland)
11.12.2016 Suomalaisrehtorin kulttuurishokki: Kodin palvelusväki kantoi koululaisten laukutkin (11 December 2016. Finnish principal’s culture shock: Household staff carried the students’ bags)
15.10.2016 Peter Vesterbacka kaivaisi tunnelin Tallinnaan – Entinen vihainen lintu haluaa Suomen osaksi Silkkitietä (15 October 2016. Peter Vesterbacka wants to dig a tunnel to Tallinn – Former Angry Bird wants Finland to be part of the Silk Road)
24.3.2017 Onnistuneet rauhanneuvottelut vaikuttavat vieläkin: Nyt myydään opettajankoulutusta Namibiaan (24 March 2017. Successful peace negotiations still have an impact: Now selling teacher training to Namibia)
Yle 23.6.2017, Arctic Summer School kerää pikkukaupunkiin opiskelijoita maailman metropoleista – “En tiennyt, että maailmasta edes löytyy näin pieniä paikkoja” ( 23 June 2017. Arctic Summer School attracts students from global metropolises to a small town – “I didn’t know such small places existed in the world”)
9.10.2017 Yliopisto alkaa värvätä ulkomaisia opiskelijoita jatkuvalla syötöllä – suomalaisyritys heittää verkot vesille Aasiassa (9 October 2017. University starts recruiting foreign students continuously – Finnish company casts nets in Asia)
9.12.2017 Koulutusvienti on kasvava bisnes – kiinalaisrehtorit opissa Suomessa: “Olemme huomanneet, että lapset ovat hyvin iloisia koulussa” (9 December 2017. Education export is a growing business – Chinese principals learning in Finland: “We have noticed that children are very happy at school”)
11.4.2018 Peter Vesterbacka kumppaneineen toisi Suomeen 150 000 opiskelijaa Aasiasta – rehtorit pitävät suunnitelmaa liian kunnianhimoisena (11 April 2018. Peter Vesterbacka and partners aim to bring 150,000 students from Asia to Finland – principals consider the plan too ambitious)
11.9.2018 Intiaan kaivataan kymmeniä suomalaisia pelialan opettajia – “Mietimme kuinka tähän huutoon voidaan vastata” (11 September 2018. Dozens of Finnish game industry teachers needed in India – “We are considering how to respond to this demand”)
30.9.2018 Laaja korkeakouluverkosto vai muutama huippuyliopisto? Helsingin yliopiston rehtori haluaa valtiolta päätöksiä (30 September 2018. Extensive university network or a few top universities? University of Helsinki rector wants decisions from the state)
18.10.2018 Mandy Chao valitsi Kiinassa tyttärelleen suomalaisen päiväkodin – halusi, että lapsella on hauskaa hoitopaikassa: “Täällä hänellä saa olla omia mielipiteitä” (18 October 2018. Mandy Chao chose a Finnish kindergarten for her daughter in China – wanted her child to have fun at daycare: “Here she can have her own opinions”)
17.1.2019. Suomalaisyritys avaa ovia koulutusviennille Kiinaan – maa haluaa ottaa opetusreformiin mallia Suomesta (17 January 2019. Finnish company opens doors for education export to China – the country wants to model its education reform on Finland)
29.3.2019 Ulkomaalaisten opiskelijoiden tulo tyssää kuukausien lupabyrokratiaan – korkeakoulut umpitympääntyneitä (29 March 2019. Arrival of foreign students halted by months of bureaucracy – HEIs are fed up)
4.6.2019. Ugandalaisella pakolaisleirillä opiskellaan suomalaista yrittäjätutkintoa – Todistuksella voi hakea korkeakoulutukseen EU:ssa (4 June 2019. Finnish entrepreneurship degree studied in Ugandan refugee camp – Certificate can be used to apply for higher education in the EU)
18.11.2019 Pelimies Peter Vesterbacka manaa lupaviranomaisten hitautta – miljoonapotin saaminen ulkomaalaisilta opiskelijoilta vaarassa (18 November 2019. Game marketiser Peter Vesterbacka curses the slowness of permit authorities – millions from foreign students at risk)
18.1.2022. Suomalaiset rakentavat 75 koulua Peruun – 700 miljoonan euron projektin vetäjä: “Tämä on historiallisen suuri avaus koulutusviennille” (18 January 2022. Finns to build 75 schools in Peru – Project leader of the €700 million project: “This is a historically significant opening for education export”)
31.5.2022 Suomalaisopettajat lähetettiin laittomiksi työntekijöiksi Saudi-Arabiaan – rekrytoivan yhtiön perustaja on näkyvä demaripoliitikko (31 May 2022. Finnish teachers sent as illegal workers to Saudi Arabia – founder of the recruiting company is a prominent Social Democrat politician)
7.9.2022 Suomalainen koulu voi olla pian miljardin euron arvoinen vientihitti – asiantuntija selittää, mikä opetuksessa maailmalla kiinnostaa (7 September 2022. Finnish school could soon be a billion- euro export hit – expert explains what interests the world in Finnish education)
29.9.2022 Yksityiset firmat alkavat tuoda Keniasta hoitajia paikkaamaan Suomen hoitajapulaa – tutkija näkee isoja eettisiä ongelmia (29 September 2022. Private companies start bringing nurses from Kenya to address Finland’s nursing shortage – researcher sees major ethical issues)
9.12.2022 Sairaanhoitajia töihin välittävän firman johtaja kertoo työnantajien ennakkoluuloista: “En haluaisi nykypäivänä nähdä tällaisia viestejä” (9 December 2022. Head of a company recruiting nurses talks about employers’ prejudices: “I wouldn’t want to see such messages nowadays”)
28.2.2023 Kenialaisopiskelijoiden lukukausimaksuja ei ole saatu, vaikka eräpäivää on lykätty monesti Tampereella – sama ongelma eri puolilla Suomea (8 February 2023. Tuition fees from Kenyan students not received despite multiple extensions in Tampere – same problem across Finland)
29.3.2023 Thy Nguyen on ensimmäinen tuontilukiolainen, joka osallistuu tänään kirjoituksiin – pikkulukiot halutaan pelastaa ulkomaalaisten avulla (29 March 2023. Thy Nguyen is the first imported high school student to take matriculation exams today – small high schools want to be saved with the help of foreigners)
26.4.2023 LAB-ammattikorkeakoulu suunnittelee koulutuksen viemistä Intiaan – Suomen akuutti työvoimapula kaipaa kansainvälistä apua (26 April 2023. LAB University of Applied Sciences plans to export education to India – Finland’s acute labour shortage needs international help)
18.9.2023 Perhe otti 12 000 euron lainan saadakseen Susanin opiskelemaan Suomeen – nyt hän kerää pulloja ja siivoaa maksaakseen jättivelan (18 September 2023. Family took a €12,000 loan to get Susan to study in Finland – now she collects bottles and cleans to pay off the huge debt)
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