Finland, the best education system in the world

I have been constatntly asked to share the best education system in the world where study is not a work. Its part of life. Kids are learning because they love to. The revolution started in 90s to give education at stressfree environment. While reading this keep in your mind about our old ancient Gurukul Indian system eher kids were sent to various ashram to study. Where they were getting the same education and opportunity to learn.

As we say “First Impression is last Impression” its true for the kids. When they enter the school they make impression about the school and for the entire life they take it as same. If they feel insecured and abandoned they will remain the same.

Many school systems are so concerned with increasing test scores and comprehension in math and science, they tend to forget what constitutes a happy, harmonious and healthy student and learning environment. Many years ago, the Finnish school system was in need of some serious reforms.

The program that Finland put together focused on returning back to the basics. It wasn't about dominating with excellent marks or upping the ante. Instead, they looked to make the school environment a more equitable place.

   

Since the 1990s, Finnish educators have focused on making these basics a priority:

Education should be an instrument to balance out social inequality.

All students receive free school meals.

Ease of access to health care.

Psychological counseling

Individualized guidance

Beginning with the individual in a collective environment of equality is Finland's way

In Finland, teaching is a highly competitive career. Only 8-10% of applicants are accepted onto teaching degrees and there is high appreciation of the teaching profession.

The key question was: “Is it possible, in principle, that all children can attain similar learning goals”. The answer, after much political wrangling was affirmative. Equality is the cornerstone of Finnish education.

SCHOOL SET-UP

DAY CARE: AGE 2/3 – 7

As the name ‘day-care’ suggests the Finnish early childhood education does not have an official curriculum. Children are not taught letters or numbers, unless an individual shows specific interest in learning to read and write. The emphasis is on interaction and play through which children learn about themselves and others. The goal is to support the children’s balanced growth, development and learning.

PRE-SCHOOL: AGE 6-7, GRADE 0

The 0-class or pre-school is an introduction to more structured learning. Most pre-schools introduce letters and numbers through play. Main focus is on thinking skills and problem solving. Teaching and learning is differentiated as some children might already be fairly confident readers. However, it is not compulsory to send your children to pre-school.

PRIMARY SCHOOL: AGE 7-13, GRADES 1-6

Unlike India, children in Finland go to their local school; hence there is a real sense of community amongst students, parents and teachers. Many children will walk or cycle to school from the age of seven. There is no competition between students to be accepted, and there is no difference between having a private or state education.

LOWER SECONDARY: AGE 13-16, GRADES 7, 8, 9

In comparison to Modern Indian education system the Finnish system is not test heavy. Children are not taught to memorise pieces of information and at no stage will children sit formal or national exams. ‘What you learn without joy, you forget without grief’ is an old Finnish saying.

The Board of Education funds research projects and a large number of development programmes. Some of the development includes cooperation with enterprises and companies to develop open source educational tools, games and learning materials.

Students are also encouraged to develop and design their own learning games. Content learning is often a by-product of an otherwise engaging and instructive process.

STREAMING AND REMEDIAL TEACHING

Unlike in Modern India, Finnish children are never separated into academic tiers. Streaming, in fact, is illegal. Teachers are well trained to teach mixed ability groups, to differentiate and create individual learning paths like our ancient gurus did.

The absence of high pressure testing and lack of competition between schools enables an education that has a human face and a human pace. The teachers can focus on bringing out the best in each individual student, instead of wasting time on documentation, detailed planning and worrying about national tests, performance related pay or league tables.

When children leave school and complete their compulsory education after 9th grade at the age of 16, they receive a final report card. This report card is necessary when they apply to secondary education. It represents a measure of the student’s academic achievement.

SECONDARY EDUCATION

Compulsory education ends after 9th grade at age 16. However, extremely few students choose not to go on to secondary education at this stage. Most students choose a 3- year high school, while approximately 40 % choose vocational education that offers a wide range of qualifications from auto-mechanics and plumbing to media production, IT, games design etc. There are no dead-ends in the Finnish education system.

HIGH SCHOOL: AGE 16-18, GRADES 1-3

Entry to high school is based on the grade point average of the final report card from 9thgrade. Some high schools offer specialisation like sports, performing arts or music.

In high school students study either the regular Finnish curriculum or the International Baccalaureate. Students who complete the Finnish curriculum will sit a national exam, the Finnish Matriculation Examination, in their final year, at the age of 18.

How ever if we see closely we will find the finnish system is nothing but modern adaptation of our old Gurukul system. Where every individual were created as individual.

If we remember the mahabharat era. All pandavas went to same gurukul but they learnt different skills altogether.

The only results that are published are the results of the High School Matriculation Examination. These results do not tend to affect the school choice a great deal as the quality of education is quite even. More important factors are the distance to school and of course, the student’s own motivation. Besides, comparing schools can be misleading. Schools that accept students with lower grade point average and achieve good results overall are the real winners.

Education in Finland is an education system with fully subsidised meals served to full-time students. The present education system in Finland consists of daycare programmes (for babies and toddlers) and a one-year "pre-school" (or kindergarten for six-year-olds);

A nine-year compulsory basic comprehensive school (starting at age seven and ending at the age of sixteen); post-compulsory secondary general academic and vocational education; higher education (University and University of applied sciences); and adult (lifelong, continuing) education.

The Finnish strategy for achieving equality and excellence in education has been based on constructing a publicly funded comprehensive school system with selecting, tracking, or streaming students during their common basic education.

Part of the strategy has been to spread the school network so that pupils have a school near their homes whenever possible or, if this is not feasible, e.g. in rural areas, to provide free transportation to more widely dispersed schools. Inclusive special education within the classroom and instructional efforts to minimize low achievement are also typical of Nordic educational systems.

In general in India people think the play or pre school as a place where you dump your child when you’re working. It’s a place for your child to play and learn and make friends. Good parents put their children in daycare.

 The focus for kindergarten students is to “learn how to learn”, Instead of formal instruction in reading and math there are lessons on nature, animals, and the “circle of life” and a focus on materials- based learning.

 It is strongly believed that when children develop learning to learn as a life skill and see the real life applications of the knowledge they gather, they will become lifelong learners.

Children in Finland.

Unlike in today’s modern indian school, where many schools are slashing recess, schoolchildren in Finland have a mandatory 15-minute outdoor free-play break every hour of every day. Fresh air, nature and regular physical activity breaks are considered engines of learning. According to one Finnish maxim, "There is no bad weather. Only inadequate clothing."

For example to say "They sent kids into the small jungle with a map and compass and they had to find the way out. 

Very Creative naa!!!!!

Finland doesn't waste time or money on low-quality mass standardised testing. Instead, children are assessed every day, through direct observation, check-ins and quizzes by the highest-quality "personalised learning device" ever created - flesh-and-blood teachers.

In class, children are allowed to have fun, giggle and daydream from time to time. Finns put into practice the cultural mantras: "Let children be children," "The work of a child is to play," and "Children learn best through play."

Lets Summarize the whole post

• Finnish children don't start school until they are 7.
• Compared with other systems, they rarely take exams or do homework until they are well into their teens.
• The children are not measured at all for the first six years of their education.
• There is only one mandatory standardized test in Finland, taken when children are 16.
• All children, clever or not, are taught in the same classrooms.
• 66 percent of students go to college.
• The difference between weakest and strongest students is the smallest in the World.
• Science classes are capped at 16 students so that they may perform practical experiments every class.
• 93 percent of Finns graduate from high school.
• 43 percent of Finnish high-school students go to vocational schools.
• Elementary school students get 75 minutes of recess a day in Finnish versus an average of 25 minutes in the Modern India.
• Teachers only spend 4 hours a day in the classroom, and take 2 hours a week for "professional development".
• The school system is 100% govt. funded.
• All teachers in Finland must have a masters degree, which is fully subsidized.
• The national curriculum is only broad guidelines.
• Teachers are selected from the top 10% of graduates.
• There is no merit pay for teachers.
• Teachers are effectively given the same status as doctors and lawyers.