The UNESCO Associated Schools Network (ASPnet) promotes intercultural dialogue, peace, human rights, sustainable development and quality education. In recent years, global education and sustainable development have gained a prominent role alongside the preservation of cultural and world heritage sites. Cultural and world heritage education falls under global education, supporting the development of a cultural identity and promoting cultural knowledge and sustainable development (Finnish National Agency for Education).
Information about the activities on the website of the Finnish National Agency for Education
UNESCO activities of the eNorssi network (in Finnish only)
Equality and diversity plan of the Viikki Teacher Training School
Equality means equal opportunities for all. Since 1995, the law has obliged every workplace with at least 30 employees to have a gender equality plan. When the Act on Equality between Women and Men (609/1986) was amended in 2005, this obligation was extended to cover all educational institutions as well. Since the 2014 amendment of the Act, the obligation has encompassed all education providers. The Non-Discrimination Act (1325/2014) requires education providers to have a plan for the promotion of equality.
The purpose of the Act on Equality between Women and Men is to prevent gender discrimination, promote equality between women and men and, to this end, improve the status of women, particularly in working life. Another objective is to prevent discrimination based on gender identity or gender expression (sections 1–3 of the Act on Equality between Women and Men).
According to the Act, education providers must ensure that girls and boys as well as women and men have equal opportunities for education, training and professional development, and that teaching, research and instructional material support the attainment of the Act’s objectives.
Equality must be promoted in education and training while taking into account the age and level of development of the children (section 5).
The concept of equality is not confined to gender equality. As defined in the Constitution of Finland, everyone is equal before the law and no one shall, without an acceptable reason, be treated differently from other persons on the ground of any reason that concerns his or her person (section 6).
According to section 6 of the Non-Discrimination Act, education providers must evaluate the realisation of equality in their activities, take necessary measures to promote the realisation and ensure that they have a plan for the necessary measures for promoting equality.
The evaluation must consider the admissions criteria for pupils and students, the instructional material used in teaching, the measures taken to prevent bullying and harassment, the equality of teaching situations, the assessment of learning outcomes, and the equality competence of teachers.
The purpose of the Non-Discrimination Act is to promote equality and prevent discrimination as well as to enhance the protection provided by law to those who have been discriminated against (section 1).
The aim of the equality plan is to identify and tackle discrimination, assess the impact of equality in the functions, activities and practices of the organisation, and implement measures that promote equality and increase participation (Equality planning guide of the Ministry of the Interior 2010, p. 14).