News in English

Practical university courses increasing
All departments not willing to sacrifice credits for internships

In the new system of degrees and curricula, the University of Tampere faculties were obliged to incorporate more working life perspective into their two-cycle degrees. This is slowly starting to show in departmentsÂ’ study programmes.

‘We definitely have had working life elements before too, but now the aim is to write them more clearly in the curriculum so that people can be more aware of them’, says Tuija Puntanen, the Head of Study Affairs of the Faculty of Humanities.

However, the number of actual working life courses has also grown. Internships have been added to Business Law and Insurance degrees, and the Department of History have arranged a successful entrepreneurship course.

‘There are fields where more working life orientation would be needed, but departments are not necessarily so interested in taking that kind of material in their curricula. Internship as an important part of the curricula and degree does not seem to increase. All the departments are not ready to “sacrifice" their precious credits for it, because the amount of credits of which the degrees consist is limited’, says the Head of the Department of Academic and International Affairs, Tenho Takalo.

The Head of Career Centre, Jukka Mäkinen, would like to add visits to working life and internships of different length to all educational levels, from bachelor to doctor studies. This would make it easier for students to find work outside university.

Due to the new system of degrees and curricula encouraging graduates to start working after finishing the bachelor degree, the University wanted to start preparing students for working life already within their first study years. Some departments have therefore rescheduled internships to be taken during subject studies instead of advanced studies. On the other hand, in the Faculty of Education, students and teachers disagree over whether working life-oriented courses have been cut down in the new studying programme or not.


Working life determining the future of higher education
The importance of technology and entrepreneurship growing in universities

It has been established that the Finnish educational system will be revamped more and more in the future to suit the needs of working life.

At all educational levels, cooperation with working life is constantly being enhanced. In universities, this will show in areas like administration, where the representation of working life will grow.

All university students will be offered optional entrepreneurship courses. They can also be included in postgraduate training.

Particular emphasis will be on technical science, both in universities and polytechnics. The future of the Finnish economy is seen to be relying on technological know-how:

‘The whole generation must have the necessary technical skills to be able to cope in this information society, and sufficiently many young people must have the will and expertise to elaborate technology further.’

This is how the future of education and research has been formulated in Koulutus ja tutkimus 2007-2012 (Education and Research 2007-2012), a development plan framed by the Ministry of Education.

‘Development plans without money’

According to the vice-rector of the University of Tampere, Juhani Lehto, the development plan has been a disappointment but not a surprise.

‘It reflects the policy of the current government and of previous ones: Long-term cultivation has had to step aside and leave room for short-lived technological innovations.’

Among SYL, the National Union of University Students in Finland, the development plan has been taken fairly positively. The SYL Secretary for Academic Affairs, Juhana Harju, is particularly satisfied that a lot of attention has been paid to the quality of teaching.

Tuition fees for students coming outside EU and EEA countries are also mentioned in the plan, and these are to be tried out. SYL has been against student fees of all kinds for a long time, but has finally, yet reluctantly, agreed to the experiment.

‘Our opinion is: Fine, let us try them out, as long as it is a genuine trial, and not a pilot for permanent tuition fees’, Harju says.


Aviisi struck by religious vandalism in station tunnel

During the spring, the editorial office of Aviisi received feedback from several annoyed readers, concerning Aviisi issues the readers had obtained from the station tunnel paper stand. To the readersÂ’ surprise, Christian leaflets were to be found in between the papersÂ’ pages.

‘In future, I would rather have my Aviisi without any gospel as bonus’, one of the readers protested.

Leaflets were systematically put in between Aviisi issues in the station tunnel on at least a few occasions. The editorial staff has not been asked for permission to do this.
The leaflets proclaiming Christian gospel have been printed by Herätysseuran kirjapaino in Suolahti. Aviisi failed to reach the publisher on the telephone.

The editors certainly understand that a quality paper like Aviisi qualifies even to promulgate divine gospel. However, in the future proclaimers are advised to contact the paper to agree on advertising prices. Otherwise, Aviisi will have to consider contacting the police in order to start an investigation.


TOAS will not provide communal boxes

The Tampere Student Housing Foundation, TOAS, will not provide its tenements with communal digi-boxes. The tenants are to buy them themselves, if desired. The TOAS Premises Manager, Pasi Mäkinen, explains that the main reason for this are peopleÂ’s different viewing preferences.

‘It would just be restricting. We do not know what people want to watch on TV. Some people only want to watch the basic channels. If people want extra facilities, they can pay for them separately. We enable this by providing the technical possibility.’

Tenements will thus provide only the possibility to go digital. Tenants will have to acquire devices themselves. Prices for basic digi-boxes start from around 50-60 euros.


Tamy offices back to daily routine after holidays

Tamy offices in Kauppakatu 10 will open again at the end of July. The General Office returned from a holiday on the 23rd of July, whereas the Financial Office will open on the 30th, allowing Quick Cash Help to continue practising.

Until the 15th of August, the offices will be open from Monday to Friday 8:00-11:00 and 12:00-14:00. Thereafter, the General Office will be open from Monday to Friday 9:00-11:00 and 12:00-16:00. The Financial Office is open weekdays 12:00-15:30 and the Quick Cash Help 12:00-15:00.