The Minister of Education of Finland, Mr Anders Adlercreutz visited South Africa from 16 to 18 August 2026. Ms Siviwe Gwarube, Minister of Basic Education, held a bilateral meeting with Minister Adlercreutz at Tamboerskloof Primary School in Cape Town on 17 August 2026. The two Ministers discussed shared priorities and opportunities for deeper collaboration between the two countries in basic education. The discussions focused on strengthening foundational literacy and numeracy, Early Childhood Development (ECD); teacher development; skills development; and the role of education in promoting equity and opportunity.
In her welcoming remarks, Minister Gwarube expressed gratitude to Minister Adlercreutz and his delegation for the interest in visiting South Africa and exchanging information on the development of the education system. Minister Gwarube shared that South Africa had 32 years of intense focus on providing access to education, thereby redressing decades of segregated access to education. “South Africa is now focused on increasing access to ECD and strengthening quality in early learning, and the rest of the primary and secondary learning phases,” said Minister Gwarube. South Africa identified Quality Foundational Learning as a national priority and had the opportunity to advance work in this regard through its G20 Presidency in 2025 and other key multilateral platforms.
Minister Adlercreutz indicated that Finland has a national curriculum for ECD and it is part of the formal schooling system. There is one-year compulsory pre-schooling in Finland and the country is currently considering making it 2 years. Finland equally believes strongly in the power of getting the foundations right, as a key success driver for the rest of the education system. “Early childhood education has been integrated into Finland's education system for many years and enjoys very high participation rates” remarked Minister Adlercreutz. Additionally, the Finnish Minister shared concerns about the impact of increasing digital consumption on learners' concentration and reading habits. “Finland has implemented measures to reduce distractions in schools, including restrictions on mobile phone use during school hours, which have reportedly improved learner engagement, social interaction, and classroom environments,” shared Minister Adlercreutz.
On skills development, Minister Gwarube shared that the country wants to attract learners to the vocational stream, highlighting that there are not enough spaces in the academic stream in higher education, and the economy needs more vocational skills. South Africa will draw lessons from Finland on this.
Minister Adlercreutz shared that in Finland learners make a key educational choice after completing Grade 9, where they may pursue either an academic or a vocational pathway. Importantly, the system remains flexible, allowing learners who choose the vocational route to transition back to the academic pathway at a later stage if they wish to do so. “Sharing skills development is introduced early in the education system. Even during basic education, learners participate in practical subjects such as woodworking, textile crafts (including knitting), and home economics, where they acquire essential life skills such as cooking. These subjects help nurture learners' interests, creativity, and practical competencies from a young age,” stated Minister Adlercreutz. Furthermore, the Finnish's vocational education system is closely linked to the labour market. It relies on strong cooperation between education institutions, employers, and the private sector to ensure that curricula and training programmes remain relevant, responsive to industry needs, and aligned with evolving workforce demands.
In closing, the Ministers agreed to pursue cooperation in the areas of teacher training; foundational learning; vocational education; and Mother Tongue-based Bilingual Education. The Ministers conducted a walkabout of Tamboerskloof Primary School, engaging with educators and learners whilst observing teaching and learning practices within a South African primary school context. The visit underscored the shared commitment of both countries to providing quality education as a foundation for lifelong learning, personal success, and social development.
The Minister was joined by Ms Kulula Manona, Chief Director for Foundations for Learning; Ms Hleki Mabunda, Director for International Relations and Multilateral Affairs; Mr Tsekere Maponya, Acting Director for Education Human Resource Planning, Provisioning and Monitoring; Ms Phozisa Mukwevho, Deputy Director for International Relations and Multilateral Affairs. The Westen Cape Department of Education was represented by Mr Bertram Loriston, Deputy Director-General for Curriculum and Assessment Management.