Hidden
behind the doors of schools all over the world are secrets for bettering the
education system of today’s society. What are those countries doing to make
their students repeatedly score above the rest of the world? What is the
government’s role in these schools that again and again prove to be more
efficient than the rest? To explore this topic and be able to construct the
ideal education system we should look to none other than the top education
system in the world: Finland.
Finland is a country that avoids competitive, high-stakes
tests. There are no mandated standardized tests, besides one exam at the end of
the students’ senior year in high school. There are no rankings, comparisons or
competition between students, schools or regions. Finland’s schools are
publicly funded and every school has the same national goals and draws from the
same pool of university-trained educators. This results in all Finnish children
getting the same quality education no matter whether they live in a rural
village or a university town. Students only begin compulsory school at age
seven because Finnish educators believe there is no hurry since children learn
better when they are ready. Students complete secondary school at age fifteen
or sixteen and then, based on their grades, go to either vocational school or
upper secondary school. Teachers in Finland spend fewer hours at school each day
and spend less time in classrooms than American teachers. This extra time is
used to build curricula and better assess students. Finnish children spend
far more time playing outside and homework is minimal.
As
for the government’s role in Finland’s education system, it is far greater than
that in other countries. It’s almost unheard of for a Finnish child to show up
hungry or homeless. Finland provides three years of maternity leave and
subsidized day care to parents. The government provides preschool for all five year-olds,
where the emphasis is on play and socializing. In addition, the state
subsidizes parents, paying them around 150 euros (about $205 dollars) per month
for every child until he or she turns seventeen. Schools provide food, medical care,
counseling, and taxi service if it is needed. Also, student health care is
free.
A
non-competitive, more stress-free environment, along with a stronger role from
the government seems to be the most ideal education system. In the end, it is a
country’s education system that is preparing its youth to be the leaders of
the future, and the more they put into it, the more they will get out of it.
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