Edu- Essence
FINLAND EDUCATION SYSTEM
I
n this edition we will try to give you a deep insight into the education system of Finland, widely touted by many as the most successful education system in the world- a fact that is supported by awards from various evaluation bodies, as part of our ongoing series profiling education systems around the world. The teachers are respected; high talent is attracted into teaching; it is considered to be one of the most important professions.� -Finnish Prime Minister, Matti Vanhanen
The above neighbors, has many statement by credits to its name. It t h e P r i m e According to its ministry of education, the ranks in the top three M i n i s t e r o f core principles of education policy are competitive countries in Finland pretty Q u a l i t y , E f f i c i e n c y , E q u i t y a n d the world and is home to much sums up Internationalism. some of the best names in the importance the hi-tech space. In order g i v e n t o to retain the edge and keep teaching as a profession and education as a its people competitive and thereby to maintain whole in this Scandinavian country. If ever their economic welfare, Finland believes in there arises a question regarding the success of investing heavily in education. According to aligning education with national interests, its ministry of education, the core principles of Finland is the country to look in. Finland, education policy are Quality, Efficiency, though a small country in comparison to its Equity and Internationalism.
S o much so that i n Finland , access t o educati on is guarant eed by the constitution and the government carves its system according to the visions and interests of the nation. Every child has a right to free, equal and quality education and the legislation obliges the government to provide children with the same by funding the entire cost of education. The Parliament passes legislation on the education policy and e n t r u s t s t h e responsibility of its s u c c e s s f u l implementation with the Government, which acts through the Ministry of Education. Every four years, the government reviews and works out a development plan for education and research, which is generally in line with achieving the nation's goals and ensuring it's all round welfare. Because they believe and act to strengthen the grass root systems, it is not surprising that the Finnish are one of the most economically and culturally secure people in the world. The Finnish have a unique and fun approach to education and don't stress too much on classroom training. In fact, children in Finland
spend the least amount of time in the classr o o m children in Finland spend the least w h e n amount of time in the classroom comp when compared to children in a r e d countries around the world. t o children in countries around the world. The government's policy is such that it strengthens the efficiency of the education system and enhances people's learning capacity. Also, the policy is carved out in such a way as to incorporate the concept of life long learning so that everybody has equal opportunities to enhance their skill sets and to align their knowledge with the requirements of the times.
The System Children in Finland have a statutory right and obligation to complete school education and statistics show that almost all the children do so. As an overview, basic education is free and compulsory for all children and begins at the age of seven. There however, is a voluntary one year preprimary stage before the start of basic education and most children op for this as well. The basic education is for a period of nine years, followed by upper secondary education which usually lasts for three years and ends with a national level Matriculation examination, cle ari n g whi c h pro vid
Finland is home to around 800 high tech companies including the mobile phone giant Nokia
voluntary for children and is decided by their parents. The most interesting part however, is that the Ministry of Education recommends only 13 children per group in this program. This can be extended to a maximum of 20 children per group provided the school provides trained adult in addition to the teacher to oversee the activities. As per the latest statistics from the ministry, 96 % of children of the age group six go to preprimary school.
Basic Education es eligibility to continue higher studies at polytechnics and universities. The Government and Local Authorities provide free basic education through schools, which start in mid-August and end in early June with a total of 190 working days and a 10 week summer holiday period. Local organizations arrange for some voluntary activities for the first, second year students and for those with special needs. These activities include sports, music, arts and the likes and are designed to help promote emotional growth and well being of children.
Pre-Primary Education Pre-Primary education in Finland is provided free of charge and starts at the age of six and is for Children in Finland start compulsory education at the age of seven a period of one year. The local authorities are entrusted with the statutory responsibility of providing pre-primary education to six year olds. However, enrolment in this program is
Children in Finland start compulsory education at the age of seven. (Unlike most countries where students start much earlier, example preprimary in India, which starts at the age of just three!) Basic education is general education lasting
for nine years and The Finnish educational has system has is provided free of been rated the best educational system cost. A student also in the world by several leading has the option of continuing his r completing compulsory basic education basic education for one more have two options – Initial Vocational studies and General Upper Secondary Education. year (i.e 10 th year). This education is compulsory and is provided at schools in the nearby locality so as to make General Upper Secondary school travel short and thereby safe. As such, Education most schools have strength of not more than The Upper secondary education is not 500-600 pupils at the maximum. The syllabus mandatory. However, most students opt for it. is designed in line with the national It consists of either General or Vocational guidelines. Perhaps the biggest difference education and lasts about three to four years. with systems of other countries lies in the fact The best thing is that the program isn't based that students in Finland spend the entire basic on any specified year-classes and students education program of nine years at the same have the flexibility to complete the program school promoting a sense of unity. Children either in two, three or four years giving an are provided with various support services, opportunity for each student including free meals, to study at his own pace. The textbooks, equipments, program ends in a national traveling and health care, level matriculation to help them with their e xamination. This overall well being. e x amination tests the Students are also student's knowledge and encouraged to pursue u nderstanding of the extracurricular activities curriculum designed for such as sports, music, upper secondary education dance, arts and the likes. and provides eligibility for Students with special students to continue higher studies at Polytechnics, Vocational Institutes needs are entitled to special teaching and Universities. The courses offered at these alongside regular classes. All the teachers at upper secondary schools differ from school to this level are required to have a Master's school. Some schools specialize in sports, degree and keeping in view the standards of some in music; some others offer specialized the Finnish education system, it is needless to courses in arts while some others lead to an say that the quality of teaching is par international examination and the choice is excellence. Teaching from years 7-9 is done wide. by subject specialists. Successful completion Most of of the nine year comprehensive school t h e s e syllabus doesn't lead to any qualification and upper students are given a School Leaving seconda Certificate. r y schools Stu The gap between the best performing provide den schools and worst performing f r e e t s schools in the country is a measly 4% educati afte on and
are run by loc a l aut hor itie
s with significant financing from the government.
Vocational Education and Training
on for higher studies at Polytechnics and Universities. Further and continued vocational education comes under the purview of the Ministry of Education and is intended for working people looking to enhance their knowledge and acquire new skills.
Vocational education is divided into two parts – initial and further and continued training. The basic aim of this program is to respond to the demands of labor market and to provide highly skilled workforce. The program is based on Higher Education credits and people who have cleared the After the successful completion of Upper matriculation examination can also join initial Secondary Education/Vocational Training, vocational education. There are a total of 119 students gain eligibility to continue their recognized vocational courses that award studies at Polytechnics/Universities. While qualifications in 53 different streams to choose Universities (the small country of Finland has from, which include popular options like around 20 world class universities) specialize Technology and Transport, Business and in free research, scientific and artistic Administration, Health and Social Services, education and grant graduate and post graduate Tourism, Economics, Natural Resources, educational degrees, Polytechnic are geared Culture, Physical Education and the likes. towards developing skills keeping the labor Successful completio n o f The best thing is that the program isn't based on any specified vocational year-classes and students have the flexibility to complete the courses program either in two, three or four years giving an opportunity for provides each student to study at his own pace. qualificati
market in mind. The system of Polytechnics, though a relatively recent phenomenon, and Universities are the two pillars of the Finnish Higher Education system.
the secondary education is totally free. Surprisingly, even though the amount of money spent per student by the government is the highest in Everything from tuition, course materials, transportation, Finland, the total lunches and health care until the secondary education is s p e n d o n totally free. education is much less that that of the US or even South Korea for that matter, which is a good point to Adult Education understand that the efficacy of a system is In addition to the above, Finland provides more important than the amount of excellent opportunities for adults willing to investment. Higher education too is almost enhance their skills as a response to the free as the government heavily subsidizes the changing times and employment costs. Finland's policy on education over the opportunities. People who are already years has been based on its economic survival. working professionals choose this mode of In order to maintain its high wage, high skill study to add to their knowledge and improve economic system and to ward off competition their prospects. Adult Education is provided as from the low cost Asian economies, Finland's part of the life long learning process and is believes in investing heavily in education. In provided at different levels totally free of fact education has been the driving force charge except in the case of extended behind Finland's transformation from an Vocational Education and Training, which economy based on agriculture not so long ago though not free, is subsided by the government to today's high tech economy.( Finland is so as to not be a burden on the students. home to around 800 high tech companies including the mobile phone giant Nokia). Here International Recognition are some statistics that prove the efficiency of The Finnish educational has system has been the system. rated the best educational system in the world by several leading international surveys. The country spends the highest amount of money per student on basic, elementary and high school education than any other country in the world and when it comes to spending on higher education Finland ranks a close second. Everything from tuition, course m a t e r i a l s , transportation, lunches and health care until
According to the OECD’s Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), which tests the knowledge and skills of 15 year old students in the developed world once every three years, the Finnish education system has been ranked the best especially when it comes to language skills, science and mathematics. |Finland has the largest rate of teen literacy in the world, a reducing trend in which is one of the major concerns in the developed world. |The country has the highest percentage of regular readers in the world. |Finnish students study at the same school from age 7 to age 16, which ensures the teaching staff knows the students and their families well and also enables to present every student with an equal opportunity. |The gap between the best performing schools and worst performing schools in the country is a measly 4% |Finland is the most creatively compositive economy in the world, according to world economic forum. | Finnish students spend the least amount of time in the class rooms when compared to the students from the industralized world. |According to the OECD’s Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), which tests the knowledge and skills of 15 year old students in the developed world once every three years, the Finnish education system
has been ranked the best especially when it comes to language skills, science and mathematics. To sum it up, the success of an education system depends to a large extent on the way it is designed and implemented in line with national goals. The ministry of education through proper research ensures that its policy creates a system which provides equal opportunity to all and encourages maximum participation from the public because in Finland, education is viewed as something that is needed to maintain the economic welfare of the country and to help its people retain their competitive edge in these days of globalization. In the whole process, a teacher is thus viewed as having one of the most responsible and important jobs as they are entrusted with the responsibility of shaping the destiny of their country. Backed by this brilliantly designed education system, the Finnish are no wonder one of the most economically successful people in the world today.n