Adlercreutz weighs giving authorities power to halt home education
Monday 5th October 2026 on 12:30 in
Finland
Education Minister Anders Adlercreutz will discuss whether authorities should be able to suspend home education during a live interview on Yle on Monday. Ulla Malminen will interview him at 14:00.
Yle’s investigative programme MOT has found serious cases of neglect involving children in home education. In one case known to the programme, a severely neglected child was kept hidden from authorities for years, registered as receiving home education and prevented from meeting other children.
The Finnish Security and Intelligence Service, known as Supo, warned this summer that gaps in oversight could create risks of extremist thinking. It said it was particularly concerned about far-right or radical Islamist instruction, and that schools play a key role in preventing radicalisation among children and young people.
Oversight and the quality of teaching vary widely between families, according to teachers interviewed by MOT. The programme contacted 22 teachers responsible for monitoring home-educated pupils. Many said they were concerned about whether children meet other children often enough and how a lack of contact might affect their social development.
Adlercreutz has considered whether authorities should have the power to stop home education, which they do not currently have. The Ministry of Education began a review of home education in the spring, and it is expected to be published soon.
Child Ombudsman Elina Pekkarinen has called for stronger, more consistent regulation and oversight, saying children’s rights are not always realised. She also said home education is a good arrangement for children in many cases.
About 1,000 children in Finland receive home education, three times as many as seven years ago. Pekka Poikajärvi, an assistant principal who coordinates home education in Tampere, said the increase may partly reflect improved recognition of pupils’ neuropsychiatric challenges. Children often move to home education when support at school is not enough. Competitive sports, personal convictions and bullying are also reasons.
News coverage of the disappearance of the Karfien family has also fuelled debate about home education. The family disappeared without a trace about two years ago, and the case involved a dispute over home education.