Helsinki official claims school enrolled bearded 15-year-old

Helsinki city councillor and city board member Otto Meri has claimed that a clearly over-age pupil started at a Helsinki primary school this autumn, Yle reported. The city says it does not recognise such a phenomenon and that pupils generally study with others of the same age.

Meri, a member of the National Coalition Party, said on the social media platform X that he had heard about the case from a school principal who contacted him.

According to Meri’s post, the principal said a new pupil had started in one of the school’s early primary grades. The principal described the child as an 180-centimetre-tall, bearded young man whose identity document stated that he was eight years old. The principal reportedly believed the child was at least 15, possibly older.

Meri said the principal considered the case part of a wider phenomenon rather than an isolated incident. According to the post, schools have no authority who could investigate such cases, while age assessments require the parents’ consent. The principal suggested that schools should be able to order a more detailed age assessment when there are justified doubts about a child’s actual age.

Yle has not identified the principal and has been unable to verify Meri’s claims. Meri told Yle that he altered the principal’s comments in his post to protect the principal’s identity. He said the case involved one of the first primary school grades, where pupils are under 10, and not necessarily the second grade specifically.

The post received nearly 200,000 views on X over two days.

City says pupils generally study with peers their own age

Ville Raatikainen, Helsinki’s director of basic education, declined to comment on an individual social media post but provided a general response by email.

Raatikainen said pupils mainly study with others of the same age. He referred to the Basic Education Act, which states that teaching groups must be formed according to pupils’ age and abilities in a way that supports their healthy growth and development.

Raatikainen said he was not aware of any situation in Helsinki in which a class had pupils who were clearly older than usual for that grade.

Combining pupils from several year groups in one teaching group is possible and is used, for example, when forming special education classes or preparatory education groups. Common combinations include pupils from grades one and two, grades three to six, and grades seven to nine.

According to Raatikainen, decisions on admission to schools are based on official personal data and information in the Population Information System. Schools follow the information held in official registers and do not assess a pupil’s age based on appearance or another personal impression.

Meri plans to continue investigating

Meri said he found it unusual that Helsinki did not recognise the phenomenon.

“I am very surprised, since the principal works at a Helsinki primary school and says this is not an isolated case. I trust the principal. They were very sincere and genuinely concerned about the situation,” Meri told Yle.

Meri said it was problematic that the principal still did not know how to act in such a situation. He plans to investigate whether the legislation on age assessments is up to date.

“As a decision-maker, I believe we should have the possibility in such a situation to verify a child’s actual age,” Meri said.