Comparisons

Finnish pedagogy vs the Maharashtra state board

The Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education is moving towards competency based, multidisciplinary learning under NEP 2020, a direction that overlaps with several ideas already built into Finland's curriculum.

In brief

Maharashtra's SSC curriculum makes Marathi compulsory from Class 1 to Class 10 alongside English and, in most cases, Hindi.
Recent reforms have cut syllabus content by around a quarter in some years and pushed the state towards competency based, multidisciplinary teaching in line with NEP 2020.
Finland has used a competency and phenomenon based approach since its last major curriculum reform, taught through fewer standalone exams.
Maharashtra assesses students through annual board exams at Class 10, while Finland assesses continuously without a formal exam until the end of upper secondary school.

A shared direction, different starting points

Maharashtra's board has begun adopting the same broad ideas that already sit at the centre of the Finnish curriculum: fewer topics taught more deeply, and learning organised around competencies rather than isolated facts. The difference is timing and depth. Finland built its curriculum around phenomenon based, multidisciplinary modules decades ago, while Maharashtra is introducing these ideas gradually alongside its existing subject structure.

Language policy

Maharashtra requires Marathi throughout primary and secondary school to protect the state's linguistic identity, alongside English and typically Hindi, following a trilingual model. Finland follows a comparable principle: the mother tongue, Finnish or Swedish, remains the main language of instruction, with English added as a subject from Grade 1 through play based methods rather than a third compulsory language in primary school.

Exams versus continuous assessment

The Maharashtra SSC board exam at the end of Class 10 remains a single high stakes event that shapes a student's next steps. Finnish schools spread assessment across the whole school year using teacher observation, portfolios and descriptive feedback, only introducing an external exam at the end of upper secondary school.

What this means for schools and families in Maharashtra

Schools adopting Finnish pedagogy in cities like Mumbai, Pune or Nagpur are essentially accelerating a shift the state board is already moving towards, while removing the single end of year exam that still anchors the SSC system.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Maharashtra state board becoming more like the Finnish system?

In some respects, yes. Its recent NEP aligned reforms push towards competency based, multidisciplinary teaching and reduced syllabus load, both long standing features of the Finnish curriculum.

Do Maharashtra state board schools teach in English?

Many do, alongside Marathi and Hindi, since the board requires trilingual study through secondary school regardless of the medium of instruction chosen by the school.

How does the SSC exam compare with Finland's assessment approach?

The SSC exam is a single, high stakes written test at the end of Class 10. Finland instead builds assessment into daily teaching throughout primary and lower secondary school, with no equivalent single exam at that stage.

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.

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