I see many people highly prioritize the education system for their offsprings when deciding to move to another country. This article will help people planning to move to FInland with their kids and are worried about the Finnish education system.
These two facts are commonly known about Finland:
- Finland is considered to be the happiest country in the world
- Finland is recognized for having the best education system in the world
When I was doing my research about Finland, I became very curious about these facts. I could assume that they provide very high quality education. But there must be something special that makes them #1. I started searching for more information about it. I experienced some of the facts by myself after moving to Finland.
Finland has a literacy rate close to 100%. International ranking system run by Economist, OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and development), etc. ranked the Finnish education system in the top positions. There is no bias to rank them top and it was not even self claimed.
Let’s find out the reasons behind the success of Finland in this field.
- Teaching is one of the highest paid jobs in Finland. Teachers are well respected and highly valued in the society. They are also highly educated and they must have a master’s degree. I could feel they are passionate about their job when I talk to them..
- They considered education as a basic need and made it free for all citizens. Interestingly, this is not only applicable for the schools. Education is free for every citizen from preschool to university. The parents do not have to worry at all about the school tuition payments.
- There are no competitions among the schools. There is no ranking of good schools and bad schools. They do not compete against each other rather cooperate for development.
- No rush for the kids to start school. Minimum age to get into the school is 7 years.
- There is no exam or standardized tests to make the students compete against each other. The grading system is completely formulated by the teacher and he/she keeps track of it. Only mandatory exams are to be taken at the age of 16.
- There is quite less amount of homework and class schedules are super relaxed. There are only a couple of classes in a day. They have a lot of time to eat, relax and stretch themselves.
- Schools provide free meals to the students. So students get balanced nutrition in the schools.
- One teacher takes care of a student for quite a long time. It helps the teacher to track the development and make a long term plan for a student.
- Students can choose their path after only 9 years of school education. They can pursue a higher degree or vocational training. They can do whatever they think they are passionate about.
OECD mentioned Finland produce #2 highest performing graduates in the world. This clearly indicate that a relaxed early stage development can be highly fruitful in the long-term. So you do not have to worry about the education system of Finland AT ALL.