Piloting emotional and interaction skills teaching in Tuusula primary schools, initiative

Good emotional and interpersonal skills are fundamental to life management and are a significant factor in preventing social exclusion. Effective emotional and interpersonal skills can also prevent bullying at school and promote the well-being and even mental health of both pupils and teachers.

Concrete measures to promote the well-being of children and young people are needed in basic education. Mental health problems among children and young people have increased at an alarming rate, and preventive measures are needed on a large scale to prevent problems from arising in the first place.

The citizens’ initiative (8354) “Emotional and interpersonal skills – adding the subject to the Basic Education Act” gathered nearly 32,000 statements of support. The legislative proposal made by Ruut Sjöblom, Member of Parliament for Tuusula, on 29 October 2021 has been signed by 46 Members of Parliament. It is great that such a large number of Members of Parliament recognise the importance of this issue.

In line with Tuusula’s municipal strategy goal of becoming a “leading municipality in education and training,” Tuusula could be at the forefront in Finland in implementing emotional and interaction skills as part of basic education. Before this is incorporated into basic education through legislation, emotional and interaction skills could be piloted in some primary schools as part of basic education, while at the same time gathering valuable experience on the impact of teaching these skills on the well-being of children, young people and the school community.

I propose as a council initiative that the municipality of Tuusula investigate the possibilities of launching a pilot project on emotional and interaction skills as part of basic education and implement the pilot project and its impact assessment as soon as possible. The investigation should include estimates of the scope and costs of the pilot programme, possible project funding and expected benefits, as well as a plan for implementing the pilot programme.

Attachments

Citizens’ initiative 12 April 2021 Inclusion of emotional and social skills as a subject in the Basic Education Act

https://www.kansalaisaloite.fi/fi/aloite/8354?fbclid=IwAR3ZM6T9zKSeQnZifXiU8zf2R-LTMVXBJarNFsK_K_zbDiZzb12qgriUGAs(switch to another service)

Legislative proposal LA 49/2021 vp, Ruut Sjöblom et al. Legislative proposal to amend Section 11 of the Basic Education Act

https://www.eduskunta.fi/FI/vaski/Lakialoite/Sivut/LA_49+2021.aspx”(switch to another service)

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