Former Counsellor of Education, Finnish National Agency for Education
Pirjo Koivula is an expert on learning support and school attendance, and a lecturer. A former Counsellor of Education at the Finnish National Agency for Education (2004–2022), she holds an M.A. in Educational Administration, Research and Planning, is a qualified primary and special-needs teacher, and has advanced leadership qualifications.
She trains teachers, principals, and administrators nationwide on inclusion reform, and lectures at universities. Koivula serves on the UNDP Advisory Committee for the Global Knowledge Index and was Country Policy Expert (2022–2025) for the European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education in two projects funded by the European Commission.
She chaired curriculum workgroups for inclusive/special-needs education in Finland’s latest national reforms, led national multi-sector support services (2018–2022), drafted legislation with the Ministry of Education, and coordinated in-service teacher training. Internationally, she has led and advised projects across Europe, Africa, and Asia, and represented Finland with OECD-CERI and UNESCO-IBE.
