According to Section 5(1) of the Public Libraries Act, it is the duty of the municipality to organise the operations of the public library. The municipality may organise the operations of the public library itself or in cooperation with other municipalities or in some other way.

PIKI libraries are a library cooperation network of municipalities in Pirkanmaa, whose operations are based on a cooperation agreement between the municipalities. The current agreement dates back to 2012.

The PIKI libraries' cooperation agreement has been updated to reflect the current operating environment, the scope of cooperation and the requirements of the legislation. The updated agreement defines in more detail the objectives of the cooperation, the organization of decision-making and operations, the distribution of costs and responsibilities related to the library system and customer register, as well as the role of Tampere as the central municipality for PIKI cooperation.

In the new cooperation agreement, the PIKI Libraries Steering Group will be updated to the PIKI Libraries Management Group, chaired by the Director of Library Services of the City of Tampere or a person designated by him/her.

In the new cooperation agreement, decision-making is primarily based on consensus between the parties. If no consensus is reached, the decision is made by vote, and in the event of a vote, each party has one vote. A 2/3 majority of the parties is required for decision-making. Decisions that have significant financial or operational impacts must be made unanimously. In the current agreement, each party has had a percentage of votes based on the number of inhabitants.

An annual cost estimate is prepared for the PIKI cooperation for the preparation of the municipal budget, which is approved by the management group. The parties prepare for the costs of the cooperation and commit to reserve a sufficient amount in their budget to cover the costs arising from the cooperation. The general basis for dividing costs and income is the percentage share of the costs according to the number of inhabitants of the parties.

The annex to the agreement concerning procurement authorizes the City of Tampere to prepare and sign a procurement decision on behalf of all municipalities that have committed to the cooperation in the organization of library activities under the cooperation agreement. Joint procurement aims to achieve systematicity, efficiency, cost savings and quality. The annex also seeks to take into account the upcoming reform of the Procurement Act.

The updated PIKI Libraries Cooperation Agreement has been approved by the PIKI Libraries Management Group on April 2, 2026, and the agreement is intended to enter into force no later than September 1, 2026. The entry into force of the agreement requires that each contracting authority approve it in accordance with its own decision-making system.. 

Kihniö Municipality's participation in PIKI cooperation is a key part of the provision of library services. The cooperation enables extensive and cost-effective library services for the municipality's residents and supports the development of library services regionally.

As an attachment/supporting material is the 2012 cooperation agreement, a draft for a new PIKI libraries cooperation agreement, and the annex to the new agreement on joint procurement for PIKI libraries.

The person responsible for the agreement is Library Director Tea Järvinen.

The agreement is signed by the director of welfare or the mayor.

Early childhood education client fees are index-linked based on Section 16 of the Early Childhood Education Client Fees Act (1503/2016). Index adjustments are made every two years. The previous index adjustment was made on 1 August 2024. 

The Ministry of Education and Culture's announcement (1028/2025) on the index adjustments to early childhood education client fees that will come into effect from the beginning of August 2026 has been published on 26 November 2025 as Appendix 3.

The highest possible and lowest customer fees charged in early childhood education have been adjusted using the price index for teaching activities, and the income limits used in determining the fee have been adjusted using the general earnings level index. 

The municipality must decide how the changed customer fees and income limits due to the index adjustment will affect the customer fees collected in the municipality. New payment decisions must be made for customers if the fee changes.

Regarding customer fees, the highest fee will increase from the current 311 euros to 335 euros. The lowest fee will increase from the current 30 euros to 32 euros. The fee for the second child will be a maximum of 40% of the fee for the youngest child, i.e. a maximum of 134 euros per month. The fee for subsequent children will be 20% of the fee for the youngest child. 

The increase in the income limit used to determine the fee for a family of more than six referred to in section 5, subsection 3 of the Early Childhood Education Client Fee Act for each additional minor child in the family will be 295 euros from 1 August 2026.

The Early Childhood Education Client Fee Act does not apply to privately organised early childhood education.

The changes will come into effect from 1 August 2026.

Income limits and contribution rates from 1 August 2026

The income limits for early childhood education client fees will change due to the index adjustment as follows:

The table also mentions previous index adjustments on August 1, 2024.

Early childhood education client fees are tied to the price index for education and income limits to the earnings level index, as further specified in the Act on Early Childhood Education Client Fees. 

Kihniö Library will be open in summer 2026 as follows between June 8th and August 9th, 2026:

Monday and Tuesday 10 am-15 pm

Wed customer service closed

Thursday 13:19 PM-XNUMX:XNUMX PM

Friday 10 am-11 pm

The library staff's working hours will be increased to 25 hours per week, so that the library can serve customers four days a week during the summer. The library also operates a tourist information center and municipal advisory services during the summer.

According to the Kihniö municipality's assessment plan, the learning level of the 6th grade is assessed in the spring with a joint test in one of the subjects. Kihniö comprehensive school students participated in the national mathematics test organized by the Association of Mathematical Subject Teachers (MAOL ry), which was organized in two parts: Friday, May 8, 2026 and Monday, May 11, 2026. The assessment report is attached as Appendix No. 1.

8 girls and 7 boys participated in the test. The students took the tests in their own classroom and the math teacher marked the tests according to the instructions. The maximum score for the test was 50, which corresponded to a grade of 10.

The students' average score was 26 points and the average grade they received on this math test was 7,25. This year's national average score is 26 and the average grade is 7,25. The 6th grade students in Kihniö comprehensive school therefore received a result on the math test that was exactly the same as the national average.

According to the Kihniö municipality's assessment plan, the learning level of 9th graders is assessed in the spring with a joint test in one of the subjects. Kihniö comprehensive school students participated in the national mathematics test organized by the Association of Mathematical Subject Teachers (MAOL ry), which was held on 05.05.2026.

MAOL publishes the national mathematics exam for the ninth grade of basic education every year. The written exam includes multiple-choice questions, basic questions, and applied questions. The time for applying questions is 45 minutes. Multiple-choice questions and basic questions last 45 minutes.

Eight girls and ten boys took the test. Each ninth-grader took the test in their math class, and the teacher marked it according to the instructions that came with the test. The instructions included precise scoring instructions and a grading scale. The maximum score for the test was 88, which corresponded to a grade of 10.

The test distinguishes relatively well those students who have learned most of the key things in comprehensive school well. They have received a grade of 8 or better on the test. If the grade is worse than 6, the student has significant deficiencies in either understanding concepts, mastering calculations, or understanding text.

The average grade of the students in this mathematics test was 6,50. This year's national average grade was also 6,50. Kihniö primary school students therefore achieved a result in line with the national average on the mathematics test.

Learning support reform - Kihniö model

On 1 August 2025, the reform of learning support (Act on Amendments to the Basic Education Act 1090/2024) entered into force.

The basics of the Kihniö basic education curriculum were published in the e-Purusteet service in February 2025 and brought to the attention of the board at the June 2025 meeting.

The working group has prepared a Learning Support Reform as a specification of the Kihniö model for Chapter 7 in spring 2026. Kihniö's instructions can be found in Appendix 6.

An active lifestyle

As a result of the amendment to the Basic Education Act prepared by the Ministry of Education and Culture, pre-school and basic education must promote a physically active lifestyle for children and young people by law as of 1 August 2026. The obligation is based on the amendment to the Basic Education Act, which was approved by Parliament in April 2025.

The provision on the promotion of a physical lifestyle will enter into force a year later, on 1 August 2026 (Basic Education Act, Section 2, Subsection 2). On 18 December 2025, the National Board of Education updated the foundations of the pre-primary and basic education curricula to reflect the change in the law. 

https://www.finlex.fi/fi/lainsaadanto/1998/628#chp_1__sec_2

The aim of the Physical Lifestyle Regulation is to 

• promote physical activity among children and young people during pre-school and primary education

• support and improve the overall well-being of children and young people

• reinforces the importance of physical activity in the operating culture of preschool and comprehensive schools and as a comprehensive life skill. 

It is essential to update the operating culture of pre-school and primary education so that all children and young people have the most equal and equitable opportunities for movement in their everyday lives.

Paikalliset esi- ja perusopetuksen opetussuunnitelmat tulee päivittää perusteiden mukaisesti ennen elokuuta 2026. Kihniön ohjeistus löytyy liitteestä 7.

The Education and Welfare Board's revenue realization percentage is 32,1 and the expenditure realization percentage is 32,8. The operating margin percentage according to net budgeting is 34,0.

No office-holder decisions for the period 23.04.2026-10.06.2026

Project grants received

•  - Etsivä nuorisotyö Kihniön kunnassa, LVV-U/23415/2026, 8.250 €

• - Harrastaminen Kihniössä lukuvuonna 2026-2027, LVV-U/51987/2026, 35.000 € (75%)

• - Askeleita aktiivisempaan koulupäivään Kihniössä, LVV-U/64709/2026, 14.000 € (60%)

• - Kerhotoiminta 2026-2027, OPH 248/406/2026, 6.440 € (70%)

Digital competence

• Keskusteltiin perusopetuksen oppilaiden digiosaamisesta.

Youth space

• Keskusteltiin nuorisotilan tilanteesta. Toivottiin nuorisoiltoihin vapaaehtoisia valvojia.