The City of Turku has been instructed by the Ministry of Education and Culture to discontinue the purchased service arrangement for English-language upper secondary education on the IB school’s international line.
Since 2003, the City has received state funding through which the English-language international programme has been purchased as an IB service from Turun normaalikoulu, maintained by the University of Turku.
The operating model was established in cooperation with the City of Turku and the University of Turku, and the Ministry has been aware of the arrangement for 23 years. However, the purchased service model is not possible in the future. There will be no changes to the national IB line; the change concerns the international line, where students study in English as their mother tongue.
The Ministry views the current operating model as not permitted and requires Turku to apply for a separate licence to provide English-language upper secondary education. The current agreement will expire on 31 March 2026.
State funding alone has not covered the costs; the City has also used its own funds to finance the purchase.
– For the City, the most important priority now is to ensure that current international IB students can complete their studies, says Anu Parantainen, Director of Children and Young People’s Services.
Next up application for a new education licence and dismantling of the current model
There are currently 83 students enrolled in the international IB programme at Turun normaalikoulu. The City has decided to secure their graduation with its own funding. In addition, approximately 20 current ninth-grade pupils are expected to enrol next autumn. For new students, the City has decided to secure the first year of studies.
The City applied for a licence to provide English-language upper secondary education in 2025, but it was not granted. A new application round will now take place. If successful, a new upper secondary school could begin operations in the autumn 2027.
– A new licence application will be submitted in March 2026, and operations could begin in August 2027. Unfortunately, this leaves one gap year, and the City is exploring all possible options to minimise the impact, says Timo Jalonen, Director of Upper Secondary Education.
If Turku is granted the licence, English-language upper secondary education could continue leading to the Finnish matriculation examination. This differs from the current IB model, where upper secondary studies can be completed without Finnish language skills. This has been particularly important for international families temporarily residing in Turku, for example due to work assignments.
The basic education of Turku International School transferred from the University of Turku to the City of Turku in August 2025. At the same time, the school moved to renovated facilities in Kupittaa. The premises are spacious and could also accommodate upper secondary education in the future.