Literacy rates decline among youths in Finland, raising concerns for education experts

Literacy rates remain a concern in Finland, particularly among immigrant-background youths, with nearly one in five native Finnish adolescents also struggling with reading skills. This insight comes from the latest PISA survey, which assessed the literacy levels of 15-year-olds.

The gap between poor and proficient readers is notably evident in their ability to comprehend text. According to Leea Lakka, an educator at the University of Turku, although all Finns can read strings of letters, basic reading skills alone do not equate to good literacy. “The issue isn’t that a poor reader can’t finish a text; rather, their interpretation is often flawed. Good literacy involves the ability to critically evaluate text,” Lakka emphasized in a recent interview.

Experts, including Lakka, express concern about the decline in reading time among students, which has been falling for over a decade. This trend significantly impacts young people’s capability to navigate society effectively. Lakka asserts there are no shortcuts to improving literacy. Therefore, her key recommendation for classrooms is to engage students actively through reading and writing activities.

“Engagement means reading and writing tasks during lessons. Teachers must employ every possible strategy to encourage students to read,” Lakka said. She believes that supplemental reading in schools could compensate for the lack of reading in students’ free time, providing an avenue to help them thrive in life.