Finnish schools abandon digital education and return to traditional paper textbooks

In Riihimäki, a city 70 km from Finland's capital, local school authorities discontinued using electronic teaching materials. Students brought paper textbooks to class for the first time in six years. The students reported that switching back to traditional textbooks and forgoing electronic devices in class made it easier to understand and retain new information.

Teachers and parents believe that complete digitalisation negatively affects students' academic performance and concentration, leading to increased forgetfulness and distraction. Teachers observe that many students rush through their class assignments to play computer games or check social media in another browser tab. The country's authorities are drafting a bill prohibiting the use of smartphones and other electronic devices during classes.

The Finnish education system once gained recognition for abandoning paper media in favour of digital technologies. Since 2018, students have not used traditional textbooks; instead, they received free laptops for their classes. However, after a few years, there was a noticeable decline in academic performance. For instance, in 2006, Finland was a top performer in the PISA educational achievement rankings, which evaluate the mathematical, reading, and scientific literacy of 15-16-year-old students. By 2018, Finland's scores had significantly declined.

Similar to Finland, Sweden has also observed the harmful effects of digitalisation. Last year, the Swedish government allocated a substantial budget to purchase school paper textbooks.