From Finland to the world: interrogating the global learning crisis

Abstract

The ‘learning crisis’, often framed as an urgent challenge of educational access and quality, masks deeper structural and geopolitical inequities. This article critically examines the narrative of the learning crisis through decolonial and critical perspectives, highlighting how intergovernmental organisations (IGOs), predominantly led by the Global North countries, construct and perpetuate this crisis narrative. Drawing on interviews with 23 Finnish education experts working in UNESCO, UNICEF, and the World Bank, the study explores the systemic challenges and power dynamics that shape global education governance. The findings reveal international organisations’ continuous reliance on narrow, technical and short-term solutions that overlook the specific characteristics of the socio-economic and cultural contexts where they intervene, perpetuating cycles of dependency and inequality in the countries of the Global South. The article calls for a shift towards contextually grounded, equitable, and decolonial approaches to education reform, emphasising the need for genuine collaboration and local leadership in addressing global educational disparities.