A couple of weeks ago I read an article from the Guardian weekly (issue: 19.07.2013) on the plane to Santiago. It was about the Finnish educational system and how a Scandinavian nation attains educational success without strains and competitions: no uniforms, no exams, no tests, no private tuition, and no inspectors. Wow, what a system!! It is extremely hard to envisage that children solely play until the time they start compulsory education at the age of 7, then they go to comprehensive schools, peruskoulu, which are free of charge and they are sorted into groups according to their abilities there. There are no exams at all until the age of 18 and they obviously do not spend more than half an hour for doing homework. I was still impressed to read more about it again after I first watched the documentary about the Finnish educational system on a US channel a year ago. I do not think it is even achievable for other nations who want to get that success reputation and also the highest ranking even they follow Finland step by step. They need to understand the basics of it. They need to bring a radical change in their systems. But why? Why is it so difficult to imagine and realize it? Because the existing systems are based on sorting students according to their scores in the exams rather than skills. They will be continuing doing so and getting the support of private institutions that mostly take the issue as money making. Without doubt, the aim of Finnish school system is not reaching the figures but the literacy in quality. Reading is a part of the culture outside schools and Plus, for such a nearly impossible educational model, teacher education needs to be considered crucial, highly qualified and valued. Pre-service education and in-service training is a real challenge and it takes some more years, patience and more importantly experience to get the diploma of teaching in Scandinavian systems. Additionally, Finland has a country profile with under 5% foreign-born citizen and the ratio of income between the richest %20 of the population and the poorest 20% is around four to one (against nine to one in Britain). Child poverty is low, social welfare policies for children work efficiently there.
The article also reminds us the fact that Finland has passed through several reforms such as mixed ability grouping, teacher education reforms, and abolishing the national curriculum and passing the administration to the local authorities until it reaches the excellency. Before the 1970s, 10% continued to their education until the age of 18 and the Finnish system was considerably influenced by British schooling. After the series of exams at the age of 11, 25% in the top ranking went to private grammar schools. Then success came along with the reforms. Now %90 stay at school beyond 16 and they choose one of two tracks: general and vocational. General track is the academic one, they take a national exam which includes essay based tests in four subject matters.To study one particular subject, students need to take more exams done by the universities. Vocational one provides technical programs. Students in this track either directly go on a job hunting or go to polytechnics.
It seems to me that the Finnish system is an ideal one, definitely unique. What I like most about it is that there are mixed ability teaching, competitiveness for yourself not with others and the importance of literacy. The students in the Finnish system must know that it is tougher for them to get the result (endpoint) because the system is a challenge itself, not because the others do very well. They know that the system provides how they can do with their abilities and they do read! It will take way too long to see at least some of the nations will follow the Finnish miracle!
Now watch this: http://youtu.be/dwHerTpwuvc
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