The plans guide the development of early childhood education, preschool education, and basic education and support the goal of strengthening equal learning opportunities and well-being for children and young people.
– The annual plan and implementation plan chart Tampere's course toward becoming Finland's leading city of expertise and education. Here, every child and young person has the opportunity to grow as themselves, learn, develop, and reach their potential, says Anne-Mari Jussila, Deputy Mayor for Education and Culture.
Lauri Savisaari, Director of Education and Culture, also emphasizes the goal of strengthening learning outcomes.
– The plans reinforce the factors that contribute to good learning outcomes, such as the importance of support, individual learning paths, the positive effects of community spirit, and the development of pedagogy.
In early childhood education and preschool, the number of assistants and special education teachers will be increased so that children receive the support they need. The Finnish language skills of multilingual children will also be strengthened.
Environmental and sustainability education will become increasingly visible in the everyday life of daycare centers.
– During the year, we will implement, for example, environment sustainability education and various activities to strengthen biodiversity, distribute forest recipes to encourage playing in the local nature, and test new activities in daycare centers' yards to adapt to climate change, says Elli Rasimus, Director of Early Childhood Education.
The accessibility and adequacy of services will be strengthened. Changes to the service network will affect the everyday lives of residents: the renovated Hatanpää Jukola unit will open in August under the name Ruusutarha Daycare Center, and a new private service voucher daycare center will be completed in Hervantajärvi.
A new learning support structure will be established in basic education, with a particular focus on preventive support measures and strengthening the language of instruction. In 2026, the emphasis will be on developing literacy.
– In 2026, we will focus even more determinedly on strengthening basic skills and learning abilities. Our goal is for every young person graduating from comprehensive school to have strong literacy skills and a positive attitude toward learning, summarizes Ulla Ojalammi, Director of Basic Education.
A legislative amendment coming in August will bring more movement into school days, as the goals of an active lifestyle will be incorporated into pre-primary and basic education.
Renovations to schools and the commissioning of new buildings will support high-quality teaching: the renovation of Kissanmaa School, completed at the beginning of the year, the new Ahvenisjärvi building, due for completion in August, and the Lamminpää School building 1, which will be furnished at the end of 2026.
The 2026 annual plan includes additional funding of 10.2 million euros for growing numbers of children and pupils, changes in legislation on learning support, reform of the early childhood education personnel structure, and the costs of private early childhood education. Operations will be streamlined by 2.7 million euros, but class sizes in basic education will remain unchanged.
– Overall, the annual plan and the strategy implementation plan will bring more support, clearer learning paths, and safer learning environments to early childhood education and schools across the city, says Deputy Mayor Jussila.
