Helsinki and five other Finnish cities are calling for stricter laws on homeschooling.
According to Helsinki Mayor Daniel Sazonov (NCP), homeschooling should only be allowed in exceptional cases, for example for health reasons.
In practice, the cities are proposing that in-school attendance should be compulsory.
"Going to school is much more than just learning defined academic content, it is also a social process," Sazonov said.
Attending school is also a tool for integration, according to the mayor.
"In Helsinki, many pupils speak a language other than Finnish or Swedish as their mother tongue; it is also essential from an integration perspective that they are at school and part of the school community," he said.
Homeschooling is not a widespread phenomenon in the capital. Just over 200 children in Helsinki were being home-schooled this year, accounting for about 0.4 percent of all pupils. The number has increased in recent years, however.
A total of around 1,000 children in Finland are home-schooled, with many choosing the option for health or wellbeing reasons.
Last week, the Helsinki City Council decided to tighten supervision of homeschooled pupils.
Supervision abilities limited
But according to Sazonov, the jurisdiction of municipalities regarding homeschooling is limited.
Not all home-school instructors have accepted more active supervision, Sazonov said.
He noted that there have been no major problems with homeschooling in Helsinki. However, he did point to concerns raised by the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service (Supo) that homeschooling can carry the risk of promoting radicalisation.
Supo's national security review suggested that homeschooling could, over time, heighten security risks linked to social fragmentation. Its report warns that isolated educational settings may enable the spread of extremist ideologies, including radical Islamist or far-right teachings.
Helsinki University terrorism researcher Leena Malkki noted that Finland should not close its eyes to these concerns.
"Finland is a society built on trust. Supervision, and even support, is not always the strictest when it comes to home schooling," she said.
Tampere is among the cities calling for educational law change. But according to Tampere Deputy Mayor for cultural services, Anne-Mari Jussila, radicalisation risks are not the reason.
"I would prefer to see children among their peers at school, learning together with other children," she said.
Tampere currently has about 50 home-school pupils.
Jussila emphasised that radicalisation is not a problem in Tampere, even though it may be a problem elsewhere.
Newspaper Helsingin Sanomat on Tuesday queried parliamentary groups regarding homeschooling.
Left Alliance leader Minja Koskela told HS that Finland needs to introduce mandatory school attendance, arguing every child has the right to education.
Some Swedes have moved to the Åland Islands, attracted by the option of homeschooling.
