The purpose of basic education is to help pupils grow and become ethically
responsible members of society and to acquire the knowledge and skills needed
in life.
Pre-primary education as part of the early childhood
education and care (ECEC) is the systematic education and instruction provided
in the year preceding the start of compulsory education, usually at the age of
6. Pre-primary education is organized in
ECEC-centers and schools. Providing a place in pre-primary education free of
charge for all children is a statutory duty for municipalities. Participation
became compulsory in August 2015. These statistics
include pupils in pre-primary education in schools and in ECEC-centers.
Statistics on early childhood education and care (ECEC) are not included in
Vipunen portal but can be found from the statistics of The National Institute
for Health and Welfare.
Compulsory schooling begins in the year when the
child turns seven. Basic education statistics include data on pupils in grades 1-9 (compulsory schooling) and in additional
education grade 10. These statistics include data on basic education provided
in comprehensive schools (including special education schools on the
comprehensive school level, comprehensive and upper secondary level schools).
‘Pupils entering basic education’ refers to children who enter first grade in
the autumn, usually at the age of seven.
The statistics are based
on data and registers collected by Statistics Finland and the Finnish National
Board of Education.
