About us
The Finnish Education Evaluation Centre (FINEEC) is responsible for the national evaluation of education and early childhood education and care in Finland. FINEEC's activities cover the entire education system from early childhood education and care to higher education.
We produce reliable national evaluation information, knowledge and understanding of education and training and their quality. Our evaluation data is used for improving Finnish education and training. The information can be utilised in local, regional and national decision-making, development work and international comparisons.
FINEEC's evaluation information helps to understand the special features and strengths of our education system as well as the development areas that should be addressed. Our evaluation projects produce information and development recommendations on current topics related to education, the level of competence, the effects of educational reforms and the state of quality management in education. Our activities increase the competence needed in the development of education and training and related decision-making.
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With our evaluation information, our particular aim is to promote
- learning and competence
- equality in the education system
- the functioning of the education system
- the quality of education.
For our upcoming evaluations, please, see the National Education Evaluation Plan 2020–2023.
Supporting quality management
In addition to carrying out evaluations, FINEEC's task is to support education and training and early childhood education and care providers in matters related to evaluation and quality management. We support education and training providers in developing quality management by, for example, producing information on good quality management and development practices, supporting the utilisation of evaluation data, producing support materials, and providing training and guidance on quality management and evaluation.
Further information about quality management support is available here.
Values guiding our activities and the operation mode of enhancement-led evaluation
Our activities are guided by our four values: reliability, independence, openness and boldness.
Reliable
We base our evaluations on strong expertise and systematically collected data.
Independent
We act independently and our outcomes and conclusions are free from a third-party influence.
Open
We work in an interactive manner, and our principles, criteria and processes are made known.
Bold
We take difficult matters, take stand and participate in public debate.
We also work interactively with our stakeholders. This is reflected, for example, in the participatory operating mode followed in our evaluations, enhancement-led evaluation. In enhancement-led evaluation, the organisation participating in the evaluation is actively involved from the very beginning. External experts with specific knowledge related to the evaluation target are also typically involved. Through its interactive and inclusive approach, the evaluation increases understanding of different actors’ perspectives and the theme to be evaluated.
An independent and unaffiliated authority
FINEEC is an independent authority operating as a separate unit of the Finnish National Agency for Education. It, thus, has the duties and decision-making powers of an independent authority, but the Finnish National Agency for Education produces our administrative and support services.
We work interactively with our stakeholders and actively consult with them. However, actors outside FINEEC cannot influence the methods, organisation, results, conclusions or development recommendations of the evaluations: the work must always ultimately serve the objectives of learning, the learner and competence. In fact, the independence of the evaluations from the interests of other actors is one of FINEEC's leading principles, and an obligation to follow this principle has also been enshrined in the legislation concerning FINEEC. This is because only evaluations regarded as independent of the interests of external actors can be considered reliable and credible.
Financing
The costs of our evaluations total around EUR 4.8 million annually. They are covered in the state budget by the annual operating expenditure budgetary package, development expenditure budgetary package, and other individual funding allocated to our operating expenditure. We also receive income from evaluation services subject to a fee.
Provisions on the duties and organisation of FINEEC are laid down in Act 1295/2013 and Government decree 1317/2013.
In addition, according to Act 582/2015, early childhood education and care became part of FINEEC’s evaluations, and according to Act 564/2016, FINEEC became a separate unit of the Finnish National Agency for Education.