Digione reaches schools but its mobile app is still unavailable

Digione, a long-awaited alternative to the Wilma school system, is now in use in some schools in five Finnish cities, Yle reports. The service brings together school communications, student records and teaching plans.

In Lahti, Digione replaced Wilma at the start of this school year in Kärpänen and Kasakkamäki schools. Its use is being expanded gradually to other schools in Lahti and in Vantaa, Jyväskylä, Oulu and Turku.

Users have reported problems, including difficulties marking absences. The mobile app is ready but is still awaiting approval from app stores. Without it, guardians do not receive phone notifications about new messages or other updates and must check the service through a browser.

Minna Ahonen, an education specialist at the City of Lahti, said several reported issues had already been fixed, with further improvements being prepared. Feedback from the two schools has helped identify what needs to be addressed before the system is introduced elsewhere in the city.

The project began in 2019 and was originally due to be completed by the end of 2023. Its budget was estimated at 12 million euros in 2020, but Tiera chief executive Jyrki Halttunen said costs now exceed 20 million euros. He attributed delays in part to stricter data security requirements for systems handling children’s and young people’s information, as well as initial underestimates of the work involved.

Espoo and Tampere withdrew from the project in 2024, citing rising costs, delays and shortcomings in the system. The project has received funding from municipalities, Tiera and Business Finland. Lahti has spent about two million euros on development and costs incurred through use. Developers are also using artificial intelligence in an effort to speed up software development and reduce costs. They aim to make Digione available to other municipalities by 2028.