Evaluation Council
An Evaluation Council consisting of experts from our stakeholders, such as representatives of education and working life and educational policy specialists from organisations, operates in connection with FINEEC. The Evaluation Council develops FINEEC's activities and supports them by offering perspectives to current topics in education.
The duties of the Evaluation Council have been determined in an act. The Evaluation Council
- participates in the strategic planning of FINEEC
- draws up a proposal for an education evaluation plan to the Ministry of Education and Culture, in which it specifies the topics and themes that FINEEC will evaluate over the following four-year period
- makes decisions on the issuance of statements and initiatives that are far-reaching in nature or essentially significant
- submits a proposal to the Ministry of Education and Culture on committees that may be established, for example, to deal with a certain theme.
The Evaluation Council also discusses the key results of evaluations and promotes their utilisation.
The duties, composition and quorum of the Evaluation Council have been determined in law:
Act on the Finnish Education Evaluation Centre, section 4
Government Decree on the Finnish Education Evaluation Centre, section 6
Composition of the Evaluation Council
The Government decides on the composition of the Evaluation Council. The Evaluation Council includes representatives from different sectors of education, teacher education, research, world of work and student organisations alike. Thanks to its diverse composition, the Evaluation Council supports FINEEC's activities by offering a variety of perspectives to education policy and the changes taking place in society.
The experts of the Evaluation Council change every four years. The composition of the Evaluation Council for the period 1 June 2026–31 May 2030 is the following:
- Arto Ahonen, Senior Researcher, University of Jyväskylä
- Kai Nordlund, Vice-Rector, University of Helsinki
- Minna Maijala, Professor, University of Turku
- Susanna Niinistö-Sivuranta, President, Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences
- Kirsi Viskari, Director, Vocational education and training, Tampere Vocational College Tredu
- Irmeli Myllymäki, Director, Educational Affairs, Association of Finnish Municipalities
- Olli Määttä, Lead Adviser for Education, Finnish National Agency for Education
- Marko Kuvaja, Principal, Kajaanin lyseo
- Mikko Kinnunen, Educational Affairs Specialist, Suomen yrittäjät (1.6.2026–31.5.2028)
- Mikko Vieltojärvi, Adviser, Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK) (1.6.2028–31.5.2030)
- Mikko Heinikoski, Head of Education and Employment Affairs, Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions SAK (1.6.2026–31.5.2028)
- Riina Nousiainen, Senior Advisor, Education and Competence, Finnish Confederation of Professionals (STTK) (1.6.2028–31.5.2030)
- Johanna Karlsson, Pedagogical specialist, City of Helsinki
- Suvituuli Lundmark, Specialist of Interest Representation, National Union of Vocational Students in Finland – SAKKI (1.6.2026–31.5.2027)
- Jenni Suutari, Education Policy Advisor, Union of Upper Secondary School Students in Finland (1.6.2027–31.5.2029)
- Joonatan Laine, Secretary General, Finnish National Union for Students OSKU (1.6.2029–31.5.2030)
- Oona Vehmas, Education Policy Adviser, National Union of University Students in Finland (1.6.2026–31.5.2028)
- Johanna Fonsell, Senior Advisor in Education Policy, National Union of Students in Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences – SAMOK (1.6.2028–31.5.2030)
The Secretary of the Evaluation Council is Aino-Maria Pusa, Evaluation Adviser from FINEEC.
The members of the Evaluation Council act as independent experts and thus do not represent their background organisation. As members of the Council, they promote the development of the entire Finnish education system and the enhancement of education evaluation.