Finnish municipalities share teachers to protect small-school options

Toholampi and Lestijärvi are sharing teachers and exploring remote lessons to expand course options and maintain equal access to education, Yle reports. The two Central Ostrobothnia municipalities received 124,000 euros for their joint project.

The Ministry of Education and Culture has awarded about 5.7 million euros to projects supporting cooperation between municipalities in basic education from 2026 to 2028. The aim is to secure qualified teachers and equal educational opportunities for young people, while also helping pupils make friends beyond their own municipality.

Toholampi and Lestijärvi are testing shared teachers, remote teaching and opportunities for pupils to meet. A technology education teacher from Kinnula has taught in Lestijärvi for years. Since August, art and crafts teacher Heli Ala-Korpi has travelled between Lestijärvi and Toholampi four days a week.

Lestijärvi’s director of education and wellbeing, Marjaana Typpö, said recruiting qualified teachers for arts and practical subjects had been difficult. Sharing teachers can save money and make elective subjects more available in small schools. Remote lessons may also be expanded.

Pupils have asked for more language options, including Korean, French and Spanish. The first joint event for young people from the two municipalities is a forest day planned for later this week.

The project includes Toholampi’s three primary schools and lower secondary school, as well as Lestijärvi’s comprehensive school. Planning has been complicated by differences in school timetables and term schedules. The distance between the municipalities is about 40 to 50 kilometres each way, and travel between schools takes time.

Teachers have also held training days to discuss ways to cooperate. Ala-Korpi said transporting equipment between schools had required planning, as not every school has the same supplies.