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Teenage boy in a bus.

Schools are getting beyond students’ physical reach

Physical distance matters when it comes to educational equality. Long commutes to upper secondary schools limit the educational opportunities of young people living in rural areas.

  • Text Sari Eskelinen | Photos Raija Törrönen and Mostphotos
Line chart showing the number of upper secondary schools in Finland in 2005-2019.
Source: Official Statistics of Finland (OSF). Providers of education and educational institutions. 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019.

Young people are expected to get an education. At the same time, schools taken away from within their physical reach, and this creates educational vacuums.

Mari Käyhkö

Researcher

The right of every young person to pursue their dream and to make choices that support that dream.

Päivi Armila

Researcher

Young men have found jobs and meaningful things to do in their sparsely populated villages.

Ville Pöysä

PhD Student

Teenager using mobile phone
Young people can get tired from commuting and don’t necessarily have time for hobbies. It is possible to get one's share of youth culture by, for example, watching Netflix.