Finland’s school-system and what we can learn from it

 INTRODUCTION

This article is part of the Education Equality Series under SDG-4 of the United Nations. Target 4.4 is “By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship.” Educational equality is a topic that varies vastly in terms of implementation across countries and continues to be an issue in numerous forms across the board. This article discusses how Finland seeks to equalise educational opportunities for students and provide them with the necessary life skills for employment and personal life.

The Finnish school system

The education system in Finland is known to produce some of the best results globally in terms of academic performance and student wellbeing. This is accredited to their unorthodox curriculum and approach to schooling. In recent years, more people have called for the Finnish model to expand beyond its borders.

So what is it that makes the Finnish school system so unique? Mainly, its standout quality is its freedom. Students are not required to take any standardised tests and there is far less of a competitive academic environment. Instead of seeing each other as numbers to beat to avoid being viewed as lesser-than, students see each other as a team. Education is built on cooperation to foster an environment where children can learn from each other as well as the teachers.

Student wellbeing

Beyond these fundamentals, another core aspect of the Finnish education system is how it centres around student wellbeing. School starts later than in most other education systems globalls and ends earlier as well. The classroom is viewed as a holistic learning environment rather than one seeking to keep children in their seats for a certain number of hours. Mental health counselling is also prioritised and Finland has shown clearly that giving children some freedom in their development benefits their well-being but also their genuine motivation to learn.

Implementation beyond Finland?

However, there remains some apprehension and even practical setbacks to applying the Finnish model on a wider scale for young students. In developing countries and even developed countries, society as a whole is faced with high levels of wealth inequality. This could mean that resources are either lacking to begin with or are distributed in a way that disadvantages a large group of young people. Indeed, other issues like a lack of teaching staff, access to mental health services and an underpaid workforce all make it difficult to move forward in the education sector.

This is also not to say that Finnish students perform at the highest level in the world. Other countries such as Singapore, Japan, China and South Korea are also known for their high-ranking student performance. However, what distinguishes the Finnish model in schools is how holistic it is. Not only does it provide a system where teaching is done in an engaging way, but it also prioritises equality in education and students’ overall wellbeing. For example, students are encouraged to pursue different paths in education rather than focusing on a select few degrees. They can continue to study at university or follow a job-specific training course and even have the option to leave education before entering high school.

The implications of this are that Finland touts a diverse workforce, whilst also providing people with the educational tools they need to excel in their personal lives and work. Other Scandinavian countries such as Sweden and Denmark are similar in this regard, which also explains the appeal their systems have to other countries around the world.

Achieving greater educational equality poses many practical and indeed psychological setbacks, as teaching staff and institutions continually try to adapt their pedagogy to suit students of diverse backgrounds in an ever-changing world. There is no certainty on what course these changes may take but what is certain is that Finland certainly provides one model that seems to be flourishing.

By Nargis Babar.