The Finland Education Phenomenon

About two weeks ago, I read about Finland's education system through Chuvanesss' blog post Why I don’t pressure my kids to get the highest grades.  The video below shared on the post got my attention.

This got me curious and I did my own research on Finland's graduates and how successful they become. I learned that Finland's education system consistently ranked as one of the best in the world the past years.

 

Here are some key ideas from their education system that are noteworthy for me.

• Very minimal to no homework
• Shorter class hours. In the above video, the school being interviewed only required 20 class-hours per week. That is about 5 hours of class-hours per day, inclusive of one lunch hour.
• Small class size, averaging 20 students per class
• Average starting school age is 7 years old
• Teachers facilitate the class and let the students do the knowledge work. They support the individuality of their students
• Free tuition fees and school materials
• Free lunch for all students
• Free health and dental care for all students

I am happy that a lot of schools in the Philippines are now adapting most of the abovementioned ideas, save for the free tuition fees and lunch, and veering away from the traditional teaching methods fostered years before. I can also see how most teachers are now regarded highly within the communities.  They are now respected by the students instead of simply feared.

 

While I believe that different methods work for different countries, I also believe that we can always learn from our global counterparts and apply ideas locally, where relevant.  Who knows? Maybe we'll see the Philippines on the global educational ranks very soon.