Finland’s education minister proposes new April school break

Finland’s education minister has suggested adding a new holiday week in April for schools, according to a report by public broadcaster Svenska Yle. Any changes would not take effect before 2028.

Minister Anders Adlercreutz (Swedish People’s Party) has proposed splitting the spring term into three periods instead of the current two, with an additional break in April to ease the workload. The idea follows an August 2024 review exploring the pros and cons of shifting summer holidays two weeks later, which would also delay the start of the autumn term by two weeks.

Adlercreutz previously raised the possibility of extending the Easter break to prevent an overly demanding spring term. However, the proposal is not part of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s government programme, meaning political discussions on the matter have yet to begin.

Svenska Yle reports that implementation would not occur before 2028 at the earliest.