Browsing by Subject "maaseutukoulu"

This Master’s thesis examines a project implemented in the municipality of Parkano in northwestern Pirkanmaa in which a new school and cultural campus, Kaarna, was built. There are approximately 600 comprehensive school students and 100 high school students studying in Kaarna. The campus also serves as a center for sports, culture and leisure activities. The campus represents a multifunctional school design model, in which different functions and services are integrated into the school. Such “community center schools” have become more common in Europe in recent years and are gradually gaining popularity in Finland as well. Typically, the aim of multifunctional school is to provide comprehensive support to the local community and to meet the challenges of area’s regional development. While in urban areas the role of schools is considered important especially in preventing segregation, in rural areas the regional significance of schools is more attached to maintaining regional vitality. Despite the differences between urban and rural areas, the core idea is the same: to strengthen and expand the local roles of schools and to support the wellbeing of local communities through schools. This thesis examines the opinions of the educational actors of the municipality of Parkano on the role of their new school in local development. The study aims to understand how the actors responsible for organizing the municipality’s educational services see their possibilities and ability to plan and implement educational services using local circumstances and needs as a starting point. In addition, the study examines whether the educational actors see the local role of the school meaningful solely in the education of children and young people, or do they think that the school also plays a significant role in supporting the overall development of the municipality. The thesis aims to take part in the discussion on how schools can promote vibrant communities and residential areas in rural Finland, and on the other hand, what kind of challenges are involved. In this thesis, the phenomenon is approached through place-based development of schools and community development. The primary data of the study consists of seven expert interviews conducted using the thematic interview method. All three school principals, two municipal officers and two members of municipal council attended the interviews. The description of the case was produced using fact-finding method, and the interviewees’ own views were interpreted using thematic analysis. Alongside with the interview data, information from statistics and the municipality’s own official documents was used to help build the case description. The findings of the study show that in Parkano, the opportunities to implement place-based educational services are generally seen favorable. According to the study, taking local needs into account in the planning of educational services requires, among other things, strong social capital between local educational actors and active co-operation with various actors in the surrounding area. The school was seen to play an important role in promoting the wellbeing of the entire community. The school not only meets the educational needs of the surrounding community, but also plays a key role in the leisure activities of the residents, builds social capital between different actors, improves the image of the municipality and maintains the vitality of the area. A school that is responsive to the needs of its community can also produce positive development outside the school walls. Consequently, the vitality and the resilience of the surrounding community reflects back to school. On the other hand, the study also showed that place-based development of schools will not solve the challenges of regional inequality arising from the wider societal development processes. For example, the positive effects of the school on population development of the area were seen limited.