Asia's first Finland International School appoints renowned educator, Finnish principal Dr Eija Valanne as the school's first Principal.
Finland International School is to be managed under the University of Jyväskylä of Finland and is operated by Educluster Finland. EduConnect Private Limited under Islanders Education will operate this school in the Maldives.
Dr Eija holds a Doctor of Philosophy (Education) and has over 23 years of experience in the education field, working as a principal in Finland as well as abroad.
She has worked in Al Raqiah School in Abu Dhabi for over 6 years and was also the former Principal of Pärinharju School in Rovaniemi, Finland for over 8 years.
Thanks to her experience in the Middle East, she has significant insight on working and teaching in an Islamic country as well.
In addition to this, Dr Eija worked as an Administrative Principal of Teaching Training School at the University of Lapland in Finland for over 12 years.
In a special message dedicated to the parents of Finland International School, Maldives Dr Eija said that "Our goal is to witness the joy of learning. This is supported by child-centered approach, Finnish curriculum implementation with cross-curricular themes and team-teaching methods. Parents are essential partners in this process.”
Dr.Eija will arrive in Maldives mid-October to ensure that all the preparations are going well for the school opening in 2019 as per Educonnect's Managing Director and Executive Director of Islanders Education, Ahmed Adhly Rasheed.
"We are honoured to be working with a principal of this calibre who has trained, lead and worked in Finland for many years. This will be a very wonderful learning experience for us all,” said Adhly.