38
We l f a r e Bene f i t s
6.2 Schools
Everyone living in Finland receives free basic
education provided by the local authority.
Basic Education, Grades 1- 9
The Ministry of Education has accepted the
grounds for the basic education curriculum.
The municipal basic education curriculum for
grades 1-9 is based on those grounds, and all
schools in the Turku and Vaasa regions follow the
curriculum. Basic education is given in the schools
of Turku in Finnish at 38 schools, in Swedish at 4
schools and in English at the Turku International
School
). In addition to the schools
administrated by the City, the University of Turku
Normal School and Steiner School also operate in
Turku.
Please check
> Education or
> Education for more information.
Upper Secondary Education
Upper secondary education is given in the
schools of Turku in Finnish at 8 schools, in
Swedish at Katedralskolan i Åbo and in English
at the Turku International School (
.
fi
). In the Turku International School, the courses
are in English and the exam taken at the end
of secondary education is the International
Baccalaureate. In addition to the upper secondary
schools administrated by the City, also the
University of Turku Normal School and Steiner
School operate in Turku.
In Vaasa upper secondary education is given in
Finnish at Vaasan lyseon lukio and in Swedish
at Vasa gymmnasium. In addition to the upper
secondary schools administrated by the City, also
the Åbo Akademi University Vasa Övningsskola
(incl. IB-programme) and Steiner School operate
in Vaasa.
Turku International School
Turku International School was founded in 2003
and is primarily aimed for international children
living either temporarily or permanently in Turku.
Additionally, Finnish children returning home
after several years abroad attend this school.
Language competence tests are organised by
the school for non-native English-speakers. The
English language test is obligatory. The school
offers grades 1-9 in basic education as well
as upper secondary education based on the
International Baccalaureat Diploma Programme.
For more information and application, please
contact the Head of School Mr. Vesa Valkila (
).
6.3 Social Benefits for Families
Families are supported in Finland through various
forms of services and income transfers. The
municipality of residence (
hemort/kotikunta
) gives
access to municipal services, such as child day
care and health care services.
Most social security benefits are provided by Kela/
Fpa, the Social Insurance Institution of Finland.
Eligibility for Finnish social security benefits is
based on residence in Finland. If you intend to
move to Finland permanently, you will normally
be covered by the Finnish social security system
and will qualify for Kela benefits as soon as you
move to Finland. Coverage under the Finnish
social security system is applied by filing the Kela
form Y 77e. Students moving to Finland for the
sole purpose of studying are considered to be
resident in Finland temporarily. The exception
to this are students moving from another Nordic
country, who can gain social security coverage
in Finland if they are recorded in the Finnish
population register as being resident in Finland.
Here are some examples of family benefits:
.
The child day care fee is determined by
the family's size and earnings. Low-income
families are not required to pay any fees.
Financial assistance is also available for
private care if a child under school age is
cared for by a private day care provider.
.
Maternity and child welfare clinics attend
to women who are expecting or have
given birth to a child, as well as children
under school age.
.
Parental allowances: Expectant mothers
and mothers who have given birth receive
maternity allowance, which is usually
determined on the basis of the mother's
earnings. Fathers can apply for paternity
