Finland Education System: Equal Opportunities for Everyone to Be a Human Being
Talking about education, most of us will immediately think of a country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula, Finland. The country, which is located in Northern Europe with Helsinki as the capital, has a population of about 5,552,553 people by November 2021. So, what does Finland have to do with education?
With a literacy rate of 99%, Finland is considered as one of countries with the best education system in the world. It is also supported by other achievements in education field that make Finland worthy of receiving the honour.
Before we discuss further about things that advance Finland’s education system, let’s first identify the level of education there:
1. Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC)
When the child is usually 9 or 10 months, parents have several options to choose from: ECEC centres, family day care or for example clubs or playground activities. If the parents choose to take care of their child at home, they are entitled to home care leave and allowance until the child turns three years old.
2. Pre-Primary Education
Pre-primary education is for 6-year-old children in the year before they are due to begin their basic education. It takes one year to meet the objective of pre-primary education, which is to improve the child’s learning ability.
3. Basic Education
This stage lasts for 9 years, and it is for all children between 7 and 15 years. The objective of basic education in Finland is to support students’ growth towards humanity and ethically responsible membership of society and to provide them with the knowledge and skills needed in life.
4. Upper Secondary Education
Upper Secondary Education provides students with extensive general knowledge and the readiness for further studies, either at a university or a university of applied sciences or vocational training. Studies usually last for three years, and at their completion, students take the Finnish national matriculation examination.
5. Higher Education (Universities/Universities of Applied Sciences)
The Finnish higher education system is divided into two parallel sectors: universities and universities of applied sciences. Universities focus on scientific research and education based on it. Universities of applied sciences offer a pragmatic education that responds to working life needs.
6. Adult Education
In Finland, education is available for adults at all levels of education. Adult students can also pursue any diploma-oriented education designed for young persons. Many educational institutions also offer separate adult education with courses taught in the evening and online. Adults can study at work, alongside employment or in their own time.
After finding out the level of education in Finland, now we will look at the factors that make Finland worthy of being a country with the best education system. Maria Muuri, an Education Lead for 3DBear, says that there are six factors that make Finnish schools consistently excellent:
1. Transversal Skills. A new core curriculum where students emphasis on transversal competencies within instruction. They are things like learning how to learn, cultural competence, interaction and self-expression.
2. Government Support. Finnish National Agency of Education is always seeking new tools that support teaching in the best possible way.
3. Multidisciplinary Learning. Each academic year, every school must have at least one clearly defined theme, project or course that combines the content of different subjects and deals with the selected theme from the perspective of several subjects.
4. Differentiation. Students are all individuals, so teachers cannot teach them all in the same way. They must differentiate their lessons.
5. Diversity in Students’ Assessment. The Finnish curriculum emphasises diversity in assessment methods as well as assessment that guides and promotes learning.
6. An Active Role for Students. Teachers should talk less and let the student do more. Teachers facilitate teaching, while students set targets, reflect, and solve real-life problems.
With all those principles, Finland grows up with a good education system. But it can be concluded that there is one main thing that is always held. It is that Finland education system is dedicated to helping every student grow as a human being.
-Northern Ingo-
