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Finnish parliament refuses budget cuts on education

Xinhua, March 14, 2015 Adjust font size:

Finnish parliament has rejected a spending cut on upper secondary education and restriction of financial aid for high education students, local media reported on Saturday.

The Finnish Ministry of Education had proposed the plan to slash a total of 191 million euros (200 million U.S. dollars) in the country's high school budget at the beginning of this year. The funding cut may lead to closure of high schools in the country.

The proposal triggered off fierce reactions from Finnish high school students and educators, who staged protests and made public complaints.

In its last session before the general election 2015, the Finnish parliament finally voted down the motion.

In Saturday's session, the parliament also rejected a bill which suggests restricting university students' financial aid, after students held a massive demonstration outside the parliament on Friday.

Under the pressure of financial difficulties caused by the continuous economic recession in recent years, the Finnish government has been forced to take austerity measures, including intentions to slash education budget.

In the last economic recession in early 1990s, Finland whittled down as much as 20 percent of education spending within three years. Endit