Kerttu Saalasti

Kerttu Saalasti ( Kallio; 21 September 1907 – 31 January 1995) was a Finnish politician who was the Finland Minister of Education from 1954 to 1956 and from May 1957 to November 1957. She was the first female Minister of Education in Finland, and introduced the legislation that established the University of Oulu. A member of the Agrarian League, Saalasti also represented Oulu in the Parliament of Finland from 1948 to 1962 and from 1966 to 1970.

Early life and education Kerttu Kallio was born on 21 September 1907 in Nivala, Finland. She was the daughter of Kyösti Kallio, who was later elected as the fourth president of Finland in 1937, and Kaisa Nivala. After graduating from secondary school in Oulu in 1927, she attended the University of Helsinki, where she received a bachelor's degree in agriculture and forestry in 1935 and the Master of Science degree in agriculture in 1936. She taught agriculture at the local folk high school, and was elected to the municipal council of Nivala in 1937 as the only female member of the council. She was the first female Minister of Education of Finland, and was later re-appointed to the position by prime minister V. J. Sukselainen from 27 May 1957 to 29 November 1957. The bill, which was signed into law by President Kekkonen on 25 October 1957, has been described as the highlight of Saalasti's political career, one of her most significant achievements, and a "significant national policy action". She also worked on government reforms of primary schools and higher education in Finland, and campaigned for educational equity.

Later life and death Saalasti was awarded the title of Opetusneuvos (Councillor of Education) by Kekkonen in 1969, and received an honorary doctoral degree from the University of Oulu in 1972. She authored a biography of her parents, titled Anna hänelle nöyrä mieli: Kaisa ja Kyösti Kallion elämäntieltä, published in 1972. In 2017, the Oulu Southern Institute of the University of Oulu was renamed the Kerttu Saalasti Institute in her honor.