Finland Opts For Typing Lessons In Schools Rather Than Handwriting

Today, everyone reads books and other written material in a digital format. We’re all adapting to new trends, but the government of Finland has gone a step further and made a decision to simply remove cursive handwriting as a compulsory part of its school curriculum

The Finnish education ministry says that, from now on, “typing will be considered a basic skill.”

“It really is a huge cultural change, but knowing how to type is far more important nowadays,” it says in a statement by the Finnish ministry, with the new measures expected to be applied by the start of the fall term of 2016.

Schools can still teach cursive handwriting if they wish to do so but there will be more of a focus on basic typing and even texting skills.

Even though many will be saddened by the news, good typing skills are, without a doubt, more useful than writing in today’s job markets and many Finnish teachers agree that these changes are a step forward for children’s education.

Minna Harmanen of Finland’s National Board of Education, said that fluent typing was an important “civic skill” that every child should learn, Savon Sanomat reports.

Special attention will be paid to kids who may not have access to a computer or today’s gadgets such as smartphones or tablets, they say.

Finland is one of the first countries to officially make handwriting lessons optional in favour of typing, but it certainly won’t be the last.

Digital Trends said: “The majority of schools in the U.S. have also voted to phase out cursive writing lessons. The question is, what will happen when a computer or tablet isn’t available and someone needs to leave a note?”