Jaakko Itälä
Chairman of the Liberal People's Party
In office
1978–1982
Minister of Education
In office
1970–1971
In office
1978–1979
Personal details
Born(1933-05-07)7 May 1933
Porvoo, Finland
Died9 November 2017(2017-11-09) (aged 84)
Helsinki, Finland
Political partyLiberal People's Party
SpouseHelena Itälä
Children2
Alma materUniversity of Helsinki

Jaakko Itälä (1933–2017) was a Finnish politician. He served as the minister of education for two terms in the 1970s. He was also a member of the Parliament and head of the Liberal People's Party.

Early life and education

Itälä was born in Porvoo on 7 May 1933.[1] He graduated from the University of Helsinki receiving a degree in economics.[2] During his university studies he was a contributor to the student newspaper Ylioppilaslehti.[2]

Career and activities

Following his graduation Itälä founded a middle school in Yläne and directed it.[2] He became an advertising manager and textbook editor at the publishing house K. J. Gummerus in 1958.[2] He continued to write articles in various publications often dealing with the education reform.[2]

In the 1960s Itälä became the general secretary of the school reform committee which developed a model for the elementary schools and headed the committee in late 1960s.[3] During his term he contributed to the basic education reform in Finland.[4][5] In 1968 Itälä was named as executive director of the Mannerheim Children's Protection Association.[3]

Itälä served as minister of education for two terms: from 1970 to 1971 and from 1978 to 1979.[4] He was elected to the Parliament in 1979 obtaining the second highest vote nationwide in the elections.[3][6] He served at the Parliament until 1983.[3] He led the Liberal People's Party between 1978 and 1982.[4]

Itälä was the secretary general of Mannerheim Children's Protection Association from 1990 to 1997.[2]

Personal life and death

He married Helena Itälä, a psychologist, in 1956.[2] They had two children.[3] He died at the age of 84 in Helsinki on 9 November 2017.[1][4]

Honors

Itälä was named an honorary doctor by the University of Helsinki's Faculty of Philosophy in 1990.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 "Muistot. Jaakko Itälä 1933–2017". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 6 December 2017. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Ilkka Seppinen; Aura Korppi-Tommola (2011). "Itälä, Jaakko". Biografiskt lexikon för Finland (in Swedish).
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Peruskoulu-uudistusta ajanut Jaakko Itälä on kuollut". Turun Sanomat (in Finnish). 9 November 2017. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Samu Lehtonen (9 November 2017). "Jaakko Itälä on kuollut". Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 10 August 2022.
  5. ↑ Teemu Luukka (9 November 2017). "Jaakko Itälä on kuollut – hän oli yksi Suomen peruskoulun isistä". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 10 August 2022.
  6. ↑ David Arter (2003). "From the 'rainbow coalition' back down to 'red earth'? the 2003 finnish general election". West European Politics. 26 (3): 158. doi:10.1080/01402380312331280628. S2CID 153576048.

Further reading

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