Delegation of the Committee on Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Parliament of Montenegro, in the following composition:  Ms Branka Tanasijević, Chairperson of the Committee and Head of Delegation, and members of the Committee Mr Radosav Nišavić, Mr Andrija Popović, Mr Srđan Perić, Mr Saša Pešić, Mr Rešid Adrović and Ms Draginja Vuksanović paid a study visit to the Republic of Finland, from 10 to 13 March 2014. 

In the Finnish Parliament, the Committee delegation met with the Chairperson of the Education and Culture Committee Ms Raija Vahasalo and the Chairperson of the Committee for the Future Ms Päivi Lipponen, while at the Ministry of Education and Culture they had a meeting with the experts of the Ministry in charge of primary and high-school education, higher education and sports. Additionally, the Committee delegation visited the prestigious school “Poikkilaakso” in Helsinki.

During their visit to Finland, the Committee delegation had the opportunity, in the Finnish Parliament and in the Ministry of Education and Culture, to be informed in detail about the Finnish education system, which was known as one of the most successful in the world. 

Apart from its quality, the basic characteristic of the Finnish education system is the fact that education in Finland, from pre-school to higher, is free from all the Finnish, and they are currently having a debate whether the foreign students should be given the right to free education. Another characteristic of higher education in Finland is the right to free education even for irregular students, no matter how long they study.

With regard to primary education, students in Finnish schools, apart from textbooks, also have the right to free school materials, health care and social insurance, as well as food. Finnish schools are among the best in the world, and their students are excellent in application of knowledge, which is also reflected in the fact that Finland, with Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Canada and Japan, is constantly in the world top with PISA test scores.

During the visit to the “Poikkilaakso” school, the Committee delegation was informed on the manner of work of one of the best primary schools in Helsinki. In conversation with the principal of this school Ms Rita Rautaparta, as well as the students and the teachers, the delegation had the opportunity to directly learn about the curriculum of the school, or the elements that were the reason behind the extraordinary success of its students.

With regard to the field of sports, in conversation with the experts from this field, the Committee delegation members could learn that the sports in Finland were funded by the profits from the games of chance, which amounted to 700 million euro per year. Because the games of chance are completely owned by the state, the Government of Finland allocates about 25% of profits from the games of chance for sports, which annually amounts to 150 million euro.

During their visit to the Parliament of Finland, the delegation also had an informal encounter with Mr Kimmo Sasi, the rapporteur of PACE for Montenegro.