Education Minister Demands Review of Religious Instruction Materials After Quality Failures and Funding Shortfalls
Education Minister Anders Adlercreutz (Swedish People’s Party) has requested a report from the Finnish National Agency for Education (EDUFI) regarding learning materials used in worldview subjects, following concerns over denominational content in Islamic religion textbooks. The issue centres on the Salam textbook series, which has faced criticism for including religiously binding content that contradicts the Basic Education Act. The problem was first identified in a 2014 master’s thesis, but EDUFI only became aware of it in 2023 and failed to take corrective action, according to Adlercreutz.
"The delay has been far too long. I also think that if this has happened with one set of materials, we cannot rule out the possibility of a systemic error," Adlercreutz told Helsingin Sanomat (HS). Minna Kelhä, Director General of EDUFI, admitted to Iltalehti that quality assurance had failed in the production of the Salam series. Ilta-Sanomat reports that EDUFI was aware of critical feedback over the years but did not implement sufficient reforms despite the known need for a comprehensive review.
EDUFI Acknowledges Widespread Failures and Outlines Reform Plans
In a press release published on Monday, EDUFI announced an internal review of its operations in producing religious instructional materials over the past decade. Director Paula Merikko stated that the agency is assessing its publishing processes to prevent similar issues in the future. The Salam series, intended for grades 1–9, has been withdrawn from sale after EDUFI confirmed it "contains content that does not align with the national core curriculum for basic education."
Merikko also revealed that the Aksios series for Orthodox religious education in primary schools had similar deficiencies and has been suspended. "Our quality assurance has repeatedly failed, and we sincerely regret this. Our instructional material series for religious education should have been thoroughly reformed much earlier," she said. Ilta-Sanomat adds that EDUFI now plans to reform the content of all 30 religious education materials it publishes to comply with national core curricula, with funding drawn from sales revenue and a state-subsidized price support of €620,000 per year as outlined in the government budget proposal.
Calls for Reform of Religious Instruction
Adlercreutz has argued that the controversy highlights the need for schools to transition to a shared religion and worldview subject for all students. A working group under the Ministry of Education and Culture has proposed such a reform, citing concerns that the current system creates inequality by dividing children based on religion.
"The problems with the current model are so obvious. It creates inequality and divides children into groups based on religion. It does not, for example, build understanding of the role of religion as part of Finnish culture," Adlercreutz told Ilta-Sanomat (IS) in March. However, the government lacks a unified position on the matter, leaving any decision on reform to the next administration.
Under the Basic Education Act, religion is taught in accordance with a student’s religious community, with separate curricula for 15 worldview subjects, including secular ethics, Orthodox Christianity, Judaism, and Buddhism. Adlercreutz has stated that reviewing materials for all 15 subjects would not be an unmanageable task.
18 May, 12:43: Updated to include EDUFI’s plans to reform all 30 religious education materials and the funding mechanism for the reforms.
