Adlercreutz rejects special treatment for Christian schools

Education Minister Anders Adlercreutz says Christian schools will receive no special treatment in licensing, responding to demands from the Christian Democrats, Yle reported.

The party has called on Adlercreutz to promote permits for Christian schools using clear and equal criteria. It says permits should not be blocked for ideological or political reasons when applicants meet the requirements. Adlercreutz wrote on X on Sunday that the education ministry had acted as the party requested, adding that there would be no special treatment.

The Christian Democrats also want home education to remain possible through a simple notification, rather than requiring a permit. They argue that Christian school projects should not be grouped with organisations that raise concerns about radicalisation, such as home schools teaching extreme Islam. The party has also called for consistent oversight of home education across the country.

Adlercreutz wants home education to require a permit. At present, parents can switch their child to home education by notifying the authorities. The Finnish Security Intelligence Service, known as Supo, has described home education as a potential national security risk, citing the threat from far-right extremism and radical Islamism.

Christian schools with official permission to provide education receive state support and teach pupils in classrooms under an approved curriculum. Yle reported last autumn that obtaining a permit had become very difficult because the ministry was concerned about declining pupil numbers and the closure of municipal school networks.