The data was collected in seven schools across southern Finland.
- STT,
- Yle News
7.9. 16:10
Racism is widespread in Finnish lower secondary schools and is not addressed systematically, according to a new study. Researchers found that four out of five non-white pupils had encountered racism.
Pupils often felt they had received little emotional support after experiencing racism.
Among teachers, two-thirds said they believed there was structural racism in schools, and four in five reported incidents of direct racism.
The study found that responses to racism varied between schools. Both pupils and teachers reported that challenging racist behaviour often fell to individuals rather than the institution. Many teachers expressed a need for clear guidelines on how to respond, for example, to racist bullying.
The study’s authors noted that “racism is shaping our society, politics and public spaces and there is a need to study how students and teachers perceive and react to racism in the school context.”
The research into racism in schools unfolds against a backdrop of controversial public remarks about immigration by leading politicians. Last month, a Finns Party MP, who also serves as the Finns Party’s deputy chair, alleged on Yle’s A-studio programme that immigrants are turning Finland “into a developing country, a pigsty and a massacre”.
The study was conducted by a research team at the University of Helsinki, which examined racism and anti-racism in Finnish lower secondary schools. The four-year project, funded by the Academy of Finland, recently concluded. Data was collected from 14 classes across seven lower secondary schools in southern Finland.
More on the subject: The package contains 5 links
USU: Ombudsman calls Finns Party MP’s statements racist
Published 5.9.2025
5.9.
Study reveals teacher bias against immigrant-background students in final exam
Published 2024
2024
Academics: Outdated structures, discrimination behind migrant students’ poor performance in Finland
Published 2020
2020
Organisers “upset and angry” following racist abuse aimed at young woman chosen to be this year’s Lucia
Published 2024
2024
Oulu court finds no racist motive in stabbing of high school student
Published 9.7.2025
9.7.
source https://yle.fi/a/74-20181522
Categories: Europe, European Union, Finland, Islamophobia, Racism