Gradia (Jyväskylä Educational Consortium)
EduCluster Finland Ltd

Press Release 4 December 2018

In a world first, Finnish international high school will be made available outside of Finland for students at Qatar–Finland International School (Q.F.I. School). The private school in Doha, Qatar, operated by EduCluster Finland since 2014, will begin provision of its high school services in September 2019.

The expansion of the fast-growing Q.F.I. School will be made possible through the school’s new partnership with Gradia, a major provider of high school education for over 3,000 students in Jyväskylä, Central Finland.

The high school set-up process will be led by acclaimed Gradia expert, Mr Ari Pokka, in collaboration with Q.F.I. School and ECF. After the set-up, Gradia will continue partnering with the high school by providing part of the teaching and enabling the high school students to take international and potentially Finnish final examinations.

As with the school’s existing grades, the high school curriculum will follow a localised version of the Finnish National Core Curriculum with adaptations to reflect the Qatari environment.

'This is a wonderful opportunity for Gradia and Finnish education overall. I am looking forward to taking on this very interesting task of sharing the best of Finnish high school with international students in Qatar,’ says Ari Pokka.

Jyväskylä Educational Consortium Gradia renews learning and working life by providing students of all ages as well as corporate customers with opportunities to develop their competence and business. In addition to three Gradia High Schools in Jyväskylä, Gradia also operates two vocational institutions in Central Finland. Altogether Gradia’s schools encompass more than 25,000 students.

Gradia is the first to provide Finnish accredited vocational qualifications and professional qualifications outside of Finland. Gradia has carried out numerous successful projects across the globe in collaboration with EduCluster Finland. Vocational training provided by Gradia and ECF using the Finnish model has yielded excellent results and feedback worldwide.

Ari Pokka is an upper secondary school principal, education policy maker, and author. As a former President of the International Confederation of Principals, Pokka is a well-known developer of principals’ training and working conditions in Finland and abroad. Currently, he is the principal of Schildt Upper Secondary School, Jyväskylä, which is the largest upper secondary school in Finland. Passionate about realising the potential of all students, Pokka's career has been geared towards developing schools as profound professional communities where aspirations are nurtured, targets met, and achievements celebrated.

Established in 2010, EduCluster Finland Ltd engages in global operations pioneering expertise over the entire Finnish educational spectrum. ECF co-develops leading-edge educational solutions with its three owners: University of Jyväskylä, JAMK University of Applied Sciences, and Jyväskylä Educational Consortium Gradia.

Qatar–Finland International School was founded in 2014 on invitation from the Qatar Ministry of Education. The school’s current offering encompasses Grades 0–9, with 750 students from over 60 nationalities enrolled.

For more information, please contact

Dr Vesa Saarikoski, CEO of Jyväskylä Educational Consortium Gradia
+358 40 341 5100
vesa.saarikoski@gradia.fi

www.gradia.fi/en
www.educluster.fi