Besides all the foregoing there are normal institutes or seminaries for folk-school teachers of both sexes; six of these seminaries are for Finnish folk-school teaching, and two for Swedish ones.
The instruction is free, candidates must be eighteen years of age, and the subjects are:—Biblical history and the Bible, Christianity and moral philosophy, popular psychology, pedagogics and the science of teaching, school-keeping, the mother tongue and the reading of suitable works in it, mathematics, geography, history, the statistics of Finland, natural history, calligraphy, writing of short essays, drawing and modelling, singing and instrumental music, elementary anatomy, physiology, and the care of small children according to the laws of hygiene. To all this long list there are added for female students, instruction in needlework and weaving, housekeeping, and gardening; and for the male, slöjd, gardening, and fieldwork.
There are also State high schools for girls doing excellent work.
| No. of Lessons a Week | Salary—Marks (Finnish currency). | Salary increased after fifteen years. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lady Principal (lodgings free of charge) | 14 | 2000 | 3200 |
| Teachers (female) | 20 | 1800 | 3000 |
| Assistant Teachers (female)— | |||
| Drawing and Calligraphy | 10 | 1000 | 1600 |
| Singing | 7 | 700 | 980 |
| Gymnastics | 15 | 1500 | 2400 |
| "Kollega" (male or female) Senior | 22 | 3800 | 6200 |
| "Kollega" (male or female) Junior | 22 | 3600 | 6000 |
In Helsingfors and Wiborg, where the living is more expensive than in other Finnish towns, the principals and the lady teachers (but not the "kollegas") are in receipt of an addition to their salaries. Thus in Helsingfors a lady principal receives from the beginning 2800 marks, and after fifteen years' service, 4000.
Although this does not sound high remuneration, it must be remembered that salaries and expenses are proportionately low in Suomi.
Every woman entering the University must obtain permission from the Chancellor. He always grants it now, though formerly he often refused. There are, in 1912, 730 women out of a total of 3030 students—that is, 24 per cent.
There is no general annual fee at the University; at matriculation every student pays thirty-six shillings, and there is a small extra charge for the use of the laboratories; and, of course, students needing special instruction in any particular subject pay their professor a separate fee, about a pound per annum. In addition there are small fees for the examinations.
Men and women pay exactly the same, and enter for the same examinations, working side by side. The first woman to take a degree at the University (bacca laureate) was Fröken Emma Irene Aström in 1873, when she was appointed professor (lector) at one of the seminaries for the education of folk-school teachers.
In 1884 the Finnish Women's Association was formed, having obtained permission from the State for their name. Their object is to work for the elevation of their sex, intellectually and morally, and to better women's social and economical position.