Free Education Not Free in Finland, It Is Funded by Tax – Ambassador

There is a new government in power in Nigeria, what areas of national life would you suggest for the government to focus on in terms of education, health. And where can Nigeria learn from the Finnish example?

The challenges that governments in different parts of the world today face are often very much the same, and it is always useful to exchange points of view and experiences, even if solutions and implementation vary. Nigeria is full of ingenious potential and excellent individuals, and it is obvious that the solutions for Nigerian challenges are to be found here in Nigeria.

I have been delighted to see that the leadership here very much seem to stress priorities such as education, health, women’s empowerment, good governance and security. These are vital issues for every society – and ones that are very much emphasized also in Finland. I must say that it has been particularly great to hear the strong emphasis on education. In my own country this is perhaps the single most important element contributing to our welfare, and the most important reason behind the progress that we have experienced. I notice that even free school meals are now being discussed in Nigeria – in Finland they have been part of the educational system for decades which we have always been very proud of.

Health is obviously another very important issue for the population anywhere. Every country has their way of organizing health care. In Finland we have a system of universal health care, made up of a mix of public and private services. I am quite proud to be able to say that we have also developed world class expertise in this area – whether to do with maternal and newborn health, treatment of chronic diseases like heart and coronary diseases, or dental technology. The extremely tragic Ebola outbreak in West Africa has brought attention to the importance of health system strengthening. While ebola to a large extent stayed away from Nigeria – thanks to the fantastic efforts of the government – I believe it did bring attention to this issue here, too.

Does Finland operate a National Insurance Scheme as a means to guarantee free education and health?

In Finland education is indeed free of charge from primary school to university level. High-quality education is available to all, regardless of where they live, or what their income level is. This allows for everybody to realize their full potential, and enables us to make the most of the talent that we have in our country. This very comprehensive system is funded through taxes. Over many years, we have also invested a great deal into a high quality health care system that is publicly funded. A statutory national health insurance scheme, based on compulsory fees is run by the national Social Insurance Institution. Some health costs are also covered by user fees.

Europe generally focus on the environment. Where do you think Nigeria has failed and what can we do to get it right?

I do believe that the Nigerian leadership has environmental issues amongst their top priorities. More and more these days governments all over the world take these questions very seriously. In Finland one is never far from nature. We are surrounded by lakes and forests, and many Finns love to spend their free time in the wilderness in their summer cottages.

Forests have also formed a big part of our livelihood and contributed a great deal to our national economy for decades. Though forests are in constant industrial use, our forest reserves are in fact growing. This is because growth exceeds felling every year. We have taken great care to make sure that forest industry in Finland operates in a sustainable way. We simply could not afford to have this part of our environment, natural resource and heritage depleted.

Apart from forests, water is another central element of our national landscape. Ten percent of Finland’s total area is water, and we have almost 200.000 lakes. My country also lies by the Baltic Sea. A strong vision, long-term planning and good governance have been instrumental in ensuring sustainable policies and practices in managing this national treasure and resource.

Promoting environmental values has also meant that ‘cleantech’ has become one of the priority areas for the private sector in Finland. We have been able to develop a lot of environmental expertise over the years that can provide solutions in many parts of the world. Renewable energy and biofuels are amongst areas with great potential.

What can Nigeria do to get it right in the area of power generation?

It seems to me that the leadership in Nigeria are very much fully aware of the importance of getting it right. It is a huge challenge of course, but one that is at the same time very much possible to overcome. From the point of view of business operations, power is a crucial issue, as part of the basic infrastructure that any business needs to be able to operate and to be successful. For companies thinking of investing or operating in Nigeria, obviously this is a major point. At the same time, Nigeria offers important opportunities for companies that have cutting edge expertise in this area – look at Wärtsilä, for instance, a Finnish company that is one of the global leaders in the power sector, and that also operates here in Nigeria.