Finland considers introducing mandatory school attendance

Finland’s education minister has launched an investigation into whether the country should introduce compulsory school attendance, following concerns over the rapid rise in homeschooling and warnings from security authorities.

The inquiry, led by Education Minister Anders Adlercreutz, will assess whether Finland should adopt a system similar to Sweden’s, where children are legally required to attend school in person, Yle reports. Currently, Finnish parents can switch their children to homeschooling with a simple notification, without oversight.

A long-running dispute over homeschooling was one factor behind the disappearance of the Karfi family in Ostrobothnia, where authorities had raised concerns about the children’s isolation and the quality of their education. Child welfare reports had been filed over the family’s homeschooling practices before they went into hiding.

Adlercreutz questioned whether homeschooling should remain an unconditional right, comparing it to other public services like daycare. “Should parents be able to keep children at home just by notifying authorities, or should homeschooling meet specific criteria?” he asked. “Claiming that public school doesn’t align with one’s values isn’t a strong enough justification.”

The minister commissioned a review of homeschooling late last year, with findings expected this autumn. While he has previously called mandatory school attendance “premature” for Finland, he supports strengthening supervision of homeschooling, which currently varies widely between municipalities. Some have dedicated inspectors, but standards and frequency of checks differ.

Finland’s Security Intelligence Service (SUPO) has advocated for compulsory schooling, warning that unregulated homeschooling can expose children to religious or ideological radicalisation. SUPO has identified extremist homeschool networks operating without proper permits, including far-right groups that relocated from Sweden to Finland’s Åland Islands to avoid oversight.

Homeschooling is banned in several European countries, including Germany and the Netherlands, due to similar concerns. In Finland, the number of homeschooled children has tripled in six years to around 1,000, despite a shrinking school-age population. Adlercreutz called the trend “not in the best interest of children” and emphasised the need to ensure homeschooled students meet educational standards.

He linked the rise in homeschooling to broader societal polarisation, where ideological or religious differences drive parents to withdraw children from public schools—a development he described as “unsustainable.”

Local officials, including the education director in Pedersöre (the Karfi family’s municipality), have called for legal changes to allow authorities to halt homeschooling if it harms a child’s well-being. Only two political parties in Finland’s parliament—the Greens and the Left Alliance—currently support mandatory school attendance, according to a March survey by Helsingin Sanomat.