The Education Solution

Once again, it would appear that the Scandinavian countries have got it right. Students in Finland repeatedly out perform those in Britain. In fact, they have done best in worldwide tests in core subjects, "Finland's pupils scored the highest average results in science and reading in the whole of the developed world" (BBC News) despite only starting school at the age of 7.

Due the poor natural resources in Finland, the government realised that they needed to modernise the economy, starting with the education system. Consequently, during the 1970's the Finnish government reformed the country's education system. Instead of having a centralised system based on exams and standardised tests, they created a more localised system and began to dramatically reduce the number of exams children had to do. By abolishing standardised national exams (apart from a few samples to ensure the education system was of good quality), the Finns were able to save lots of money, which they were able to invest in increasing teacher's salaries and decreasing class sizes.

It appears that this has paid off. Every school in Finland is state funded, and these schools provide a fantastic education for every pupil. The small class sizes allow each pupil to receive personal attention from their teacher, which has proved invaluable in the development of these children. All children are taught in the same class, regardless of their ability. This has resulted in one of the smallest gaps in achievement between the most and least able pupils. Undoubtedly it also helps that "30% of children receive extra help during their first 9 years of school" (Business Insider)

Another major contributor to Finland's success is the public's attitude towards education. In Finland one of the most respected jobs is that of a teacher, and all teachers must have a master's degree. Teachers also receive excellent benefits in their job; the state recognises that teaching is very hard work, and therefore every week each teacher has 4 hours paid time off for 'professional development'. 

It is not just the teachers which are valued, but the schools themselves. Professional architects design many schools in Finland, and consequently the facilities are modern and efficient. For example in some schools the canteen is designed so that it can easily convert into a theatre for a drama class. Furthermore, the school buildings are used by the whole community. Outside of school hours schools transform into libraries and are used as communal spaces for the young and elderly alike. 

This huge involvement of all of society in the education system means that the Fins value and appreciate eduction, something which I believe is key to good schooling. Of course this would have been near impossible without government investment, however I think that if our government were to make he same commitment we could dramatically improve our county's education and therefore boost our economy and enrich society. Furthermore, currently the Finns spend "around 30% less per student than the United States." (Business Insider) Which goes to show that this would be achievable here in the UK.

Written by Lili

Picture Credit: Ellen


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8601207.stm
http://www.businessinsider.com/finland-education-school-2011-12?op=1&IR=T
http://cadmus.eui.eu/handle/1814/19429