Eighth-grade students create wooden boxes amid funding cuts at Huhtasuo Comprehensive School in Jyväskylä

In the technical work class at Huhtasuo Comprehensive School, eighth-grade students are actively working on wooden boxes with lids during an elective lesson. According to teacher Pauliina Koivula-Rautjoki, if the projects relied solely on the school’s budget, students would produce only small, unlidded wooden boxes due to tight funding. Donations have become invaluable, enabling the class to utilize materials effectively. The wooden planks for the boxes were provided by the school’s parent committee, while the lid materials came from a local wood industry company that donates surplus wood.

While several schools in Jyväskylä are facing similar resource challenges amid the city’s significant budget deficit, the comprehensive school system saw a reduction of €264,000 in the budget for materials and supplies this year, with an additional cut of €100,000 this fall. The director of basic education services, Sami Lahti, stated that Jyväskylä spends the least on educational materials compared to other major cities, investing merely €101 per student on educational literature, which is substantially lower than other municipalities.

Principal Kirsi Kallionpää noted that the limited budget leads to the recycling of textbooks for up to eight years, resulting in outdated materials. The reliance on digital educational resources is insufficient, as new licenses are needed annually. Additionally, there is a worrying trend towards theory-heavy classes, with practical lessons like home economics facing cutbacks, limiting ingredients to smaller portions.

Jaakko Salo from the Trade Union of Education emphasized that chronic funding shortages have plagued public education nationally, affecting teaching quality and student outcomes without adequate support for educational needs.