The Finnish schooling model is widely recognised for its emphasis on equity, teacher professionalism, decentralised governance, and learner-centred pedagogy. This paper examines how key Finnish schooling principles may inform educational reform in developing countries. Drawing on a qualitative synthesis of peer-reviewed sources cited in the manuscript, the study identifies the most relevant Finnish principles, analyses the main constraints affecting their adoption, and synthesises adaptation strategies supported by the literature. The findings indicate that the most relevant elements of the Finnish model are equity and inclusion, research-based teacher education, professional autonomy, trust-based governance, and flexible, inquiry-oriented pedagogy. However, the review also shows that these principles cannot be transferred as a complete institutional package because their effectiveness depends on broader social, economic, and governance conditions. Resource inequality, limited administrative capacity, rigid accountability structures, and sociocultural barriers significantly shape reform possibilities in many developing contexts. The paper concludes that Finnish schooling is most useful as a source of guiding principles rather than as a model for direct replication. Contextual adaptation, long-term capacity building, participatory curriculum reform, and school–university–government partnerships emerge as the most credible pathways for meaningful educational reform. The study contributes to comparative education research by advancing a systemic, context-sensitive framework for learning from internationally admired education systems. Methodologically, the study is designed as an integrative thematic literature review. This approach combines narrative interpretation with thematic synthesis to integrate conceptual, empirical, and policy-oriented sources and to identify recurring principles, constraints, and adaptation pathways across the literature.