Mayor Pajunen, Ladies and Gentlemen,
On behalf of all our delegation, I thank you very warmly for this invitation. Even though we are separated by a large part of the Baltic Sea, I still consider this a visit with good neighbours.
As neighbours and friends, we are not only interested in commercial aspects and urban development issues, but primárily also in one major topic with regard to Helsinki and Finland overall: your education system.
In the PISA Studies, Finland has always been ranked well above the OECD average. The results highlight the success of the Finnish education system. I read that Finnish pupils are one complete learning-year ahead of the average pupils tested in the PISA Study. All your schools are ranked very high, and even the pupils with the lowest performance are still producing impressive results compared to the OECD average.
I am therefore especially interested in finding out more, such as:
- What are your educational systems key success factors in your opinion.
- Another interesting topic is the special education for teachers.
- Thirdly, the quality control in Finland is up to the schools themselves in line with similar aspirations in Germany. How do you ensure that this control is really implemented?
- How can we expand our international cooperation in the sector of vocational education?
- And, finally: almost 90 per cent of the Finnish pupils gain a hígh school degree an outstanding performance. How do you ensure that they move on to higher education?
The school graduates also need support when starting a job. Because the challenges involved in this process are similar throughout the Baltic region, we could discuss our approaches and share our experience.
Hamburg does have something to offer, at that. Maybe we are Germany´s most Scandinavian city as far as our educational system is concerned.
Kindergartens and nurseries exist all over Hamburg, and as from next year will be free of charge half a day. Primary, secondary and grammar schools or gymnasiums, as we call them are covering all of Hamburg as well. Secondary and grammar schools both allow for taking the Abitur exams which qualify for university entrance.
So far, more than 50 per cent of Hamburg´s pupils are passing those exams.
We have started a Jugendberufsagentur, an agency that aims at bringing young people into gainful employment by all means, almost, coaxing them and, if necessary, pushing them.
And the University itself is free of any tuiton fee whatsoever in Hamburg.
Our Baltic Sea Conference on Education in Hamburg last year showed that all the stakeholders in the Baltic region need to work together closely. We have an ongoing project which qualifies youngsters for a year if they do not find a job or an apprenticeship immediately.
Another cooperation project between Hamburg and Finland aims to achieve compatibility between internships within the Baltic region. So I am curious to learn about your approaches to helping young people find jobs in Finland, as well as across the whole Baltic region.
My understanding of what it means to be a modern metropolis is that everyone who wants to live a self-determined life in our city has the opportunities and the space to live, work and to further develop personally to take part successfully in the pursuit of happiness if they want. The Smart Cities of the 21st century must be able to find flexible answers to todays questions.
I very much look forward to our exchange of opinions, and am delighted to hand you this present on behalf of the senate of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, as a friendly greeting from our city.
Es gilt das gesprochene Wort.