Education consortium buys prime Tampere properties with public funds
Wednesday 10th June 2026 on 14:31 in
Finland
A vocational education consortium in Pirkanmaa is facing criticism after purchasing an 8 million euro property on Tampere’s Hämeenkatu while planning to sell another high-value building, Ylioppilastalo, acquired just four years ago, reports Yle.
The consortium, Sasky, owned by 13 municipalities, announced in late May it would buy the former Suomen Yhdyspankki headquarters, built in 1939, for 8 million euros. Simultaneously, it revealed plans to sell Ylioppilastalo, bought from the city of Tampere in 2022 for 1.3 million euros, where renovation costs were estimated at over 3 million euros.
Some owner municipalities, including Ikaalinen, question whether Sasky has strayed from its core mission of providing education. Ikaalinen’s mayor Eeva Viitanen said the rapid property deals, particularly the Ylioppilastalo purchase, appear more like real estate business than education.
Sasky defends the transactions as necessary to consolidate teaching into a single large building. It currently owns nearly 100 properties, including Haapasen huvila in Pyynikki, acquired and renovated in 2020 for 3.4 million euros.
Owner municipalities now demand stricter oversight. A revised strategy, returned for further preparation, will include clearer rules on owner control.
The primary demand from owners is to centralise Tampere’s education into one property. Sasky’s planned Hämeenkatu purchase would accommodate 400–500 students, close to its current 550 in the city. Teaching is now spread across Haapasen huvila and rented spaces in Koulukatu and Kehräsaari, which Sasky plans to vacate.
Sastamala’s mayor Jarkko Malmberg called the Ylioppilastalo renovation a near-miss, as simultaneous projects in central Tampere would have been an unreasonable burden. The consortium is now prioritising the sale of Ylioppilastalo, partly due to owner criticism.
Sasky’s preliminary agreement for the Hämeenkatu 24 property depends on securing a permit for educational use. Without it, the deal will collapse.