Finland’s celebrated education system is failing its brightest students, contributing to the country’s slipping performance in global rankings, according to a leading education expert.
Kirsi Tirri, Professor of Education at the University of Helsinki, told Helsinki Times that Finland’s emphasis on equality in schools has come at the expense of high-achieving students, who are not receiving the tailored support they need to thrive.
Tirri stressed that true equality in education does not mean treating all students the same but rather adapting teaching to individual needs, whether a student struggles or excels.
“Equality does not mean leveling everyone down. It means responding individually to the needs of every student, whether weak or gifted,” she said.
However, Finland’s comprehensive school system has often interpreted equality in ways that overlook gifted learners, with their needs sometimes dismissed as elitist. Tirri noted that gifted students come from all social backgrounds and deserve targeted support.
Many false assumptions persist about gifted students, including the belief that they excel in every subject or require no additional help. Tirri also criticized the common practice of using high-achieving pupils as informal teaching assistants.
“Helping peers is fine, but they too have the right to learn new things at school. Their time cannot go only to teaching their friends,” she said.
Tirri linked the neglect of gifted students to Finland’s declining results in the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) tests. Even top-performing pupils have seen their scores drop, which she attributes to a lack of challenge in the classroom.
“If everyone studies exactly the same content and does the same tasks, the weakest fall behind and the most gifted get bored,” she explained.
When teachers focus primarily on struggling students, high achievers often lose motivation, leading to disengagement and underperformance.
“By supporting gifted students, we can find the resources to make the world a better place,” she said.
