Latest news with #AndersAdlercreutz
Hans India
20-05-2025
- Hans India
Three students injured in violent incident at Finnish school
Helsinki: Three students were injured in a stabbing incident at a school in the town of Pirkkala, near the city of Tampere in southern Finland on Tuesday. A fourth student has been arrested as the suspect, Finnish police confirmed. The injured students have received medical treatment, and their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. The suspect was apprehended approximately half km from the school shortly after the attack, according to the police. The police received a report of violence at the school through the emergency center at 10:42 a.m.. At 11:00 a.m., they stated that several patrols were on the scene to investigate the situation. Later, at 12:18 p.m., the police announced that they had inspected the school premises and that the acute situation was over. However, officers remained at the scene. Vahajarvi School, where the incident took place, serves more than 1,200 students from grades one through nine. The town of Pirkkala is some 180 km north of the capital Helsinki. Finnish newspaper Iltalehti reported receiving a manifesto allegedly sent in advance by the suspect. Police have confirmed that the document is now part of the ongoing investigation. According to the manifesto, the suspect is a 16-year-old male who used a knife and intentionally targeted female students, Xinhua news agency reported. The document states that the suspect had planned the attack for six months, intending to kill one person and injure at least two others. It also notes that the suspect intended to surrender to police after the attack. Eyewitnesses told Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat that the boy, dressed in black, was standing at a street corner when police arrived and he was detained without resistance. Finnish Minister of Education Anders Adlercreutz condemned the violence in a written statement, saying: "Violence in schools is unequivocally to be condemned." A police press conference is scheduled to be held in Tampere at 5:00 p.m. local time.
Euronews
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Finland to restrict the use of smartphones in school during the day
ADVERTISEMENT The Finnish parliament has passed legislation which restricts the use of smartphones and other electronic devices by students in primary and secondary schools during the day. Lawmakers say concern over the students' wellbeing and the quality of their learning environment were the driving factors behind the new policy. The new rules are expected to roll into effect at the beginning of the next school year in August. The law does not entirely ban the use of mobile phones on school premises. It instead hands the power over to teachers on whether to permit or deny the use of devices during class time. 'I think it's good to have uniform rules for schools because there's been a bit of variability. In Finland's Swedish schools, we've had more uniformity for some time, but considering the entire nation, it's a really good thing,' said Tony Björk, Principal of Mattliden Swedish High School. Pupils will need to get special permission from teachers to use their phones, to assist them in studies, or to take care of personal health-related matters, for example. 'We should focus on the lesson, and having the mobile like in your pocket can be distracting,' said a Finnish student, 'But I think during breaks, we should be allowed to have it.' But other students believe the new law is unnecessary, arguing that phones are not a distraction to all pupils and see no reason to enforce a ban on a legal level. 'I understand it, but I still feel it's a bit unnecessary,' said another student. 'But I know, like, I only see from their perspective, but I feel like, do they not trust us, you know, that they have to restrict it completely?,' argued another student. The new law also gives school staff members the authority to confiscate mobile devices from pupils if they have caused teaching or learning disruptions. Late last year, Finland´s Education Minister Anders Adlercreutz (SPP) emphasized that kids' digital skills will still be supported despite the phone restrictions.
India Today
30-04-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Finland bans phones inside classrooms, limited use with special permissions allowed within school
Indian teachers want to do it badly. And they even try it unofficially. But Finland is now officially banning phones from classrooms, with the country's parliament passing a law to this effect. The law, approved on 29 April, will come into effect at the start of the autumn term in August 2025. It will apply to both primary and secondary schools across the country, noted Helsinki Times in a report. advertisementNow, Finland will still allow students to bring phones to school but they will be need to kept away in bags during the class. Although in rare circumstances the use will be allowed, for example in emergencies or if a phone is used as a tool by specially-abled students. But for these circumstances explicit permission will be needed before the phone can be used. If students are caught using phones in the classroom, the law also grants school staff the authority to confiscate mobile phones. Meanwhile, Finnish government has also asked schools to draw up clear guidelines on when and how digital devices can be used and stored throughout the school day. These internal rules may repeatedly further limit usage during breaks and free periods, depending on the individual school's Calling the new law a necessary reform to ensure a more focused and peaceful learning atmosphere, Finland's education minister, Anders Adlercreutz, was quoted as saying by Helsinki Times: "I am pleased that the government has brought this important law across the finish line. The reform will give pupils better opportunities to focus on their education and develop meaningful social skills."The Finnish government has noted that the law banning smartphone use during class is not intended to keep the younger generation away from technology or eliminate technology from classrooms altogether. In fact, schools will continue using digital tools in education, in line with national curriculum standards. However, the law specifically targets the uncontrolled and often distracting use of smartphones that has become increasingly common in new law to restrict smartphones in schools comes amid growing global concerns over the impact of excessive smartphone use among children and adolescents. Numerous studies have shown link between high levels of screen time and reduced attention spans, disrupted sleep patterns, and increased anxiety. In classroom settings, research has consistently shown that frequent phone use can interfere with ability of students to concentrate, retain information, and engage with peers. The laws and reforms in Finland aim to promote more guided and purposeful use of technology among the younger generation and even urge adults to set examples in this regard.
The Guardian
30-04-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Finland restricts use of mobile phones during school day
Finland has passed legislation to restrict the use of phones and other mobile devices during the school day amid fears over their impact on student wellbeing and learning. Under the changes, which were approved by the Finnish parliament on Tuesday and will come into effect on 1 August, mobile devices will be heavily restricted during lesson times. Pupils will be allowed to use them only with the teacher's permission for healthcare or learning purposes. Finland is the latest European country to impose legal restrictions on the use of phones and other mobile devices in schools amid growing evidence of their impact on children and young people, including attention and self-esteem. Earlier this year, Denmark said it would ban mobile phones from all schools. The chair of the country's wellbeing commission, Rasmus Meyer, told the Guardian the measure was necessary to stop schools from being 'colonised by digital platforms' and urged the rest of Europe to follow suit. The Danish commission found that 94% of young people in the country had a social media profile before they turned 13 – despite that being the minimum age on many social media platforms – and that nine-to-14-year-olds spent an average of three hours a day on TikTok and YouTube. Other countries that have introduced mobile phone restrictions include France, which banned primary and secondary pupils from using their phones on school premises in 2018 and has been trialling a 'digital pause' for children up to the age of 15, and Norway, which recently announced a strict minimum age limit of 15 on social media. Tech companies, the Norwegian government said, were being 'pitted against small children's brains'. In the UK, a recent survey showed that 99.8% of primary schools and 90% of secondary schools have some form of ban on phones, although there is no national statutory ban. The Finnish parliament has ordered the department of education and culture to carry out a study on the effects of restrictions on the use of mobile devices in Finland and internationally due to be completed by the end of next year. After this, if deemed necessary, the department for education will take further measures. Under the new rules, students will only be able to use their mobiles during class 'for learning purposes or to take care of their own health'. If a student disrupts teaching or learning with their mobile device, the principal or teacher will have the right to remove it. Schools will also be required to establish rules for the use and storage of mobile devices during lessons, meals and breaks. MPs who objected to the bill when it was voted on argued that the restrictions on phone use should have been extended to apply also to breaks and mealtimes. The Finnish education minister, Anders Adlercreutz, said in December that the job of schools was 'not only to teach knowledge, but also, for example, social skills'. He told the broadcaster YLE: 'I hope that through this, maybe we would play more during recess and talk more face-to-face, not just via mobile phone.'
