In recent times there has been a major call for education reforms due to a continual lackluster performance on the international stage. Many private and public schools run on the same antiquated systems and schedules that were once conducive to an agrarian society. There are many generally considered flaws, a list of which can be found here. However, there is one country that has continuously stood out at the best education system in the world, Finland. Finland has consistently ranked as the number one education system in the world for many years now, but the reason behind it is government support.
The transformation of the Finns’ education system began some 40 years ago as the key propellent of the country’s economic recovery plan. By 2006, Finland was first out of 57 countries (and a few cities) in science. In the 2009 PISA scores released last year, the nation came in second in science, third in reading and sixth in math among nearly half a million students worldwide.
A proper description of school system is provided by the Finnish government here. To summarize the education system in Finland consists of daycare programs (for babies and toddlers), a one-year “pre-school” (age six), and an 11-year compulsory basic comprehensive school (age seven to age eighteen). During their nine years of common basic education, students are not selected, tracked, or streamed. This discourages competition and promotes learning overall. To add onto this they also are not generally tracked or tested. This system decreases the overall stress on students and allows them to enjoy their childhoods.
However, this system is not perfect. Finnish students in a study related to the issues of there cited bullying, general laziness, declining respect, and loss of interest in reading as factors behind these weaknesses(Study here). It is a far from perfect system, however it is still one of the best on the planet.
There are many tangible benefits to this system All students receive a free meal daily, as well as free health care, transportation, learning materials, and counseling in their schools, so that the foundations for learning are in place. Beyond that, access to quality curriculum and teachers has become a central aspect of Finnish educational policy. They have created a culture of diversity, trust, and respect within Finnish society in general, and within its education system in particular. A recent analysis of the Finnish system summarized its core principles as follows: resources for those who need them most, high standards and supports for special needs, qualified teachers, evaluation of education, balancing decentralization and centralization. A proper study by Stanford can be found here(it is where the benefits listed come from).
The benefits of this system are quite clear, although there are also some turn offs. What do you think of this system compared to our own. What can we learn from the Finns, and what do you think we do better. In the next post I will be discussing the general education system across Asia.
This topic is of great interest to me; I actually did my TED talk (in the fall semester) on the change in math education and how we are on the frontier of changing it even more for the better. The funny thing is I used that exact map of the world in my powerpoint! Researching and understanding the strengths and weaknesses of education systems across the globe is very important in order to better our own in the up and coming future. One academic I found really interesting was Jo Boaler of Stanford University, who founded youcubed.org (https://www.youcubed.org/), and is redefining the educational approach to mathematics.
After looking at the link from the Finnish government you referenced in the post, one thing that stood out to me was that vocational education/trade schools were built into the program as a viable option for students after graduation from the required 9-year program. In the US, I feel like a lot of the problems associated with people struggling to find their careers and high costs associated with a university degree stem from the fact that all students all pushed to go to college from a very early age. After doing some research, I found out that only about 40% of students start college in Finland, and less than 5% drop out. In the US, however, over 40% of students who start college dropout, leading to tens of thousands of dollars being wasted and precious years of their lives spent.
One thing I found interesting how in the Finnish system there is a noticeable difference in how students are tracked. In this system, you said that they are not really tracked, which means less competition. Interestingly a lack of competition seems to helps students learn better in the system, although I would have thought that competition would push students to better themselves even more. Now that I think of it though, a pervading presence of competition may leave some students in the dust if they cannot compete as well. I definitely see how stress will be less in Finland schools. I think personally that this system makes the education system more about learning and rather than doing well on exams, but if a student does not have the motivational drive to learn, it will make them lag behind. Great post!