Finnish education worldwide

Finnish education in Taiwan

Taiwan's 108 curriculum guidelines already moved the system toward competencies over rote content. Here is how that compares with Finnish pedagogy, and where the two currently connect.

In brief

Taiwan's 108 curriculum guidelines, phased in from 2019, span grades 1 to 12 and organise learning around core competencies rather than subject content alone.
The 108 curriculum covers eight learning areas including language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, arts, technology, integrative activities, and health and physical education.
Finland's own international education cooperation funding currently prioritises Southern Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia, India and China rather than Taiwan specifically.
International schools in Taiwan typically blend the 108 curriculum with IB or US Common Core standards, not with the Finnish curriculum, so a Finnish-pedagogy programme there would be a new addition rather than an established option.

Taiwan's 108 curriculum, briefly

Taiwan's 108 curriculum guidelines were the first to treat grades 1 through 12 as one coherent whole, replacing older syllabus-led guidelines with a competency-based framework. Learning is organised into eight areas: Mandarin and English language arts, local languages, mathematics, social studies, natural sciences, arts, technology, integrative activities, and health and physical education.

Alongside curriculum reform, Taiwan has been pushing a bilingual (Mandarin and English) education policy, which shapes how international and bilingual schools structure their primary years.

Where it overlaps with Finnish pedagogy, and where it does not

Both systems have moved away from pure content memorisation toward broader competencies, and both give schools some room to design how learning happens rather than dictating it lesson by lesson. Finnish pedagogy goes further in the early years, delaying formal testing well past age 7 and building most primary learning around phenomenon-based projects rather than a fixed set of eight learning areas.

Taiwan also retains more centrally set assessment points through secondary school than Finland does, and its curriculum guidelines remain more prescriptive about subject content even as they add competency goals on top.

Is Finnish pedagogy available in Taiwan today

Not as an established option. Finland's national cooperation programmes for exporting education expertise currently focus funding on other regions, and international schools in Taiwan mostly pair the 108 curriculum with IB or Common Core rather than Finnish methods. A school in Taiwan interested in Finnish pedagogy would be introducing something new locally, most likely through the same affiliation route OPPI uses with schools elsewhere.

Frequently asked questions

Are there Finnish curriculum schools in Taiwan?

Not currently established. Taiwan is not among the regions Finland's main education cooperation funding currently prioritises, unlike Southeast Asia, Southern Africa, Latin America, India and China.

How does the 108 curriculum compare with Finland's national curriculum?

Both are competency-focused, but the 108 curriculum keeps a more detailed, subject-organised structure across eight learning areas, while Finland gives schools and teachers more freedom in how the day-to-day curriculum is delivered. See the Finnish national curriculum explained.

Could an international school in Taiwan adopt Finnish pedagogy?

Yes, in principle, through the same school affiliation route OPPI offers elsewhere, though it would be a first for the market rather than joining an existing network.

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 →