Finland is often cited as having one of the best education systems in the world. There are several reasons why Finland has been successful in this area:

Finland has Free Education in Public schools. Textbooks, books, and all stationery items are provided by public schools to all students. In Finland’s education system, weightage on learning is more than evaluation. Finland has the same curriculum across the entire country.

Schools are in each area of the city. Generally, in the nearest school, each kid gets admission. Students must travel less than 2km for the school journey. If the school journey is more than 5km because of some genuine reason then the school will provide transportation for free.

Below are some differentiators about the best education system in Finland.

1. Focus on equality and individual learning

The Finnish education system is based on the principle of equity, meaning that every child has equal access to education regardless of their background or social status. This ensures that every child has the same opportunity to succeed. The education system of Finland is based on the concept of individual learning. It is believed that each student’s learning requirements and pace are different. Each teacher is knowing his/her students intimately. So, Each student’s learning plan is prepared by the class teacher each year. Always at the time of year’s planning, teachers are considering kids’ behavior at home, abilities, aptitude, expectations, and health factors of each student. To reconsider, the prepared plan is discussed with parents four times a year. If needed individual support is given for each subject till the performance of that student is improved in that particular subject.

2. Student-centered approach

In Finland, the focus is on the student and their individual needs rather than on standardized testing or ranking. The curriculum is designed to be flexible and to allow teachers to adapt their teaching to meet the needs of each student. students have stress-free education and schooling. None of the students is forced to improve his/her weak subjects by punishments. Always schools are improving students’ weaker subjects by providing them with more and more individual support in their studies. Each class has 25–30 students only. Schools are helping students and families in dealing with psychological issues also with the help of the municipality. For Students, Nurses and basic medical facilities are also available in each school. Every school is providing free hot meals to comprehensive school students. Each school has strict rules and psychological support for bullying.

3. Emphasis on play and creativity

The Finnish education system places a strong emphasis on play and creativity, especially in the early years of education. Children are encouraged to explore and learn through play, which helps to develop their imagination, problem-solving skills, and social skills. one of the activities which I like the most is reading practice. One printed paper according to each student’s language abilities was given. With that paper, one more paper was given which has a table of 2 columns: date & no.of words. So, the task is to read the same paper every day for one minute, count how many words were read, and write it down on that paper. Surprisingly, that practice helped in two ways: one his reading speed has improved and his pronunciation of each word has become more clear.

4. Highly qualified teachers and their training

Finland has a very selective teacher training program that attracts top-performing students. Teachers in Finland are highly respected and are given a great deal of autonomy in their work. They are also well-paid and have a high level of job satisfaction.

In Finland teachers are “Counsellors of Learning” or “Designers of Learning”. Teachers’ Freedom is the main reason behind the success of this educational system. Teachers’ training universities are preparing very professional and ethical teachers with very good planning skills. The main task of the teacher is to direct the studies of the pupils rather than to check their outcomes. Teachers follow the national core curriculum, but pedagogical decisions around implementation is teachers’ freedom. For example, brilliant and weak students in math get difficult & easy worksheets respectively for more practice in class. Weak students also get math support through additional teacher till he/she reaches to normal level in maths.

For teachers, work-life balance is very good in each school. Vacations are generous. They have fixed 8hrs jobs including all tasks like teaching, exam preparation, evaluation, parent’s meetings, school meetings, and necessary training everything is included in this 40hrs/week job. Teachers are never required to take their schoolwork at home.

In Finland majority of teachers are happy with their work. The teacher’s profession is highly respected in Finland. Entry into teacher’s education courses is rigorous and competitive. In Finland, a master’s degree is the basic requirement for educational degree admission. So, teachers are highly qualified in Finland. Even in primary schools also teachers must have a post-graduate degree. Trust and responsibility are the foundation stones of Finnish education. The selection of teachers for primary schools’ education system is very precise as they believed that it is the time to teach good behavior, manners, habits, ethics, and moral values to students.

CONCLUSION

Education is the responsibility of many people at many levels. A kid’s responsibility is to study.

Teachers’ responsibility is to teach properly so that kids’ interest in education can be increased.

The teacher training institute’s responsibility is to train teachers professionally so that they can understand kids’ psychology better through pedagogical study.

The parent’s responsibility is to keep watch on kids and guide them when needed. Give Moral and ethical guidance to kids for their life.

The government’s responsibility is to provide proper infrastructure for the education system.

So, in Finland, everyone is performing their responsibilities honestly to make it number one globally in Education. Overall, the success of the Finnish education system can be attributed to a combination of factors, including a focus on equity, highly qualified teachers, a student-centered approach, an emphasis on play and creativity, and a high level of trust in the education system.

So, do you think India should have to adapt this thing to be the best in the education system? I don’t think it’s impossible for anyone to do these things. At one time in history, India was the number 1 in education and everyone from all over the world came to India for studies. I want that time back again. I want everyone to get the best education with equal rights. Share your personal view to make better education for all…