Finnish education in Nepal
Finland has worked on Nepal's school system since 1999 through government to government cooperation, mostly focused on teacher training rather than importing a full Finnish school model.
- Finland has supported Nepal's education sector since 1999 through development cooperation, most recently the TECSES project running 2023 to 2027 and jointly funded by Finland's Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the European Union.
- The University of Helsinki leads teacher training work in three Nepali provinces, Karnali, Sudurpashchim and Madhesh, where learning outcomes have lagged the national average.
- Nepal's government has separately asked Finland to help reform school education more broadly, beyond the existing aid projects.
- For K-5 classrooms, the cooperation focuses on teacher training, inclusive education and curriculum materials rather than opening Finnish branded schools.
Finland and Nepal's long running education partnership
Education has been one pillar of Finland's development cooperation with Nepal since 1999. The current phase, TECSES, is led by the University of Helsinki's Centre for Continuing Education with Häme University of Applied Sciences and Finn Church Aid, and is funded jointly by Finland and the EU at around 5 million euro each.
What the partnership means for Nepali classrooms
TECSES works directly with Nepal's Ministry of Education, provincial governments and local schools to improve teacher training, curriculum materials and inclusive education, including Finnish expertise in autism and inclusive practice. It is targeted at three provinces where results have historically been below the national average, rather than the whole country at once.
Bringing Finnish pedagogy into Nepali schools beyond aid programmes
Government projects reach public schools through provincial systems, but individual private and English medium schools in Nepal can adopt Finnish inspired K-5 pedagogy on their own timeline through teacher training and affiliation routes, the same approach used across South Asia.
Frequently asked questions
Does Finland run schools in Nepal?
No. The cooperation is government to government technical assistance and teacher training, not Finnish branded schools.
What is TECSES?
A 2023 to 2027 technical assistance project, led by the University of Helsinki and funded by Finland and the EU, that supports teacher training and inclusive education in three Nepali provinces.
Can individual Nepali schools adopt Finnish methods outside the government projects?
Yes, private and English medium schools can train teachers in Finnish pedagogy and affiliate independently of the state level cooperation.
Related reading
Bring Finnish pedagogy to your school
OPPI affiliates a selective cohort of schools each year for its K-5 Finnish-pedagogy programme, backed by Education Finland. Tell us about your school and our team will reach out.
Backed by Education Finland. Over 20 schools have already affiliated, including DPS, Radcliffe and Sanctus. Places in each cohort are limited.
Apply to the affiliation cohort →