Dear fellow students and all the Wappu people.
I’m Rosa Nuojua, and I’m here to speak on behalf of the Council of Representatives.
We stand here in front of the Minna Canth statue, and it is no wonder that this specific Canth statue is being strewn with flowers at the same time that we get to put student caps on our heads. Canth is known as a pioneer of Finnish-language education and especially as a promoter of women’s educational opportunities. In the 1880s atmosphere, Canth’s ideas were considered very radical and liberal views of hers, and her immediate circle was frowned upon, especially among conservative people.
The reason for this was, in particular, the women’s movement and Darwinism supported by Canth and her immediate circle. Despite reprimands and counter-reactions, Canth continued to work with her ideology, and her pieces have made a huge positive impact on the equalization of Finnish society. The changes Canth and her immediate circle made were very radical at the time, but nowadays, for example, women’s education in Finnish society is self-evident.
To be able to make changes, we need people like Minna Canth. People who work to make a change in society. Accomplished rights are not going to sustain themselves. Fast changes have been seen in the atmosphere of society quite recently, too. In a democratic society, it is the actively engaged citizens who help prevent the regression of progress. I am concerned about the future of education in Finland. In the government’s mid-term policy review, one issue that particularly troubled me was the possibility of completing an entire degree through open university. The National Union of University Students in Finland (SYL) has responded to this decision by saying that it will bury the principle of free education, allowing the wealthiest to buy themselves a degree. This decision undermines the equality of Finnish education. It matters how we respond to such decisions. It is important to express our views on the government’s decisions in real time, not just on election days.
For me, life as a student has not been all about completed courses and study credits. It is a community where I have found my place. Through open university, this is not possible. The support that I have received from this community has helped me to keep up and also made my study years the best years of my life so far. I hope that everyone could have the equal rights to experience this lovely phase of life and shape it their way. The student community is not the same for everyone, and I feel proud about how diverse the community of Tampere University is. There is room to improve, and at the same time, when we make our community even better for everyone, we must keep up with everything we have already accomplished and be proud of the community we have already made. It would not be possible without participating and actively contributing community members.
Finally, I want to thank every student who is making our student community here in Tampere University the way it is today, by their active participation in the Student Union, student association, guild, club, or course study group.
I wish you all a cheerful Wappu on behalf of the Council of Representatives!
Photo: Matias Tuimala / TT-kamerat