Where is the anti-teacher sentiment on this thread?
Since it implemented huge education reforms 40 years ago, Finland's school system has consistently come at the top for the international rankings for education systems.
So how do they do it?
It's simple — by going against the evaluation-driven, centralized model that much of the Western world uses.
I don't think a proposal to remove a subsidy based on religious belief equates to a 'stated desire to wipe out'. There should be no special deals for schools based on their religious ethos.Quinn's stated desire to wipe out rural Protestant schools is probably the worst example.
What has Finland achieved, and what’s the history behind its improved education system?
In the early 1970s, Finland had an under performing education system and a pretty poor agrarian economy based on one product — trees, and they were chopping them down at a rapid rate that wasn’t going to get them very far. So they knew they had to completely revamp their education system in order to create a true knowledge-based economy.
So they began in the 1970s by completely transforming the preparation and selection of future teachers. That was a very important fundamental reform because it enabled them to have a much higher level of professionalism among teachers. Every teacher got a masters degree, and every teacher got the very same high quality level of preparation.
So what has happened since is that teaching has become the most highly esteemed profession. Not the highest paid, but the most highly esteemed. Only one out of every 10 people who apply to become teachers will ultimately make it to the classroom. The consequence has been that Finland’s performance on international assessments, called PISA, have consistently outranked every other western country, and really there are only a handful of eastern countries that are educating with the same results.
I would rather an education system driven by education professionals rather than political ideologues or ignorant journalists.
and from another article:The Hechinger Report: What roles do teacher unions play in Finland?
Virkkunen: It's a totally different situation in Finland. For me, as Minister of Education, our teachers' union has been one of the main partners because we have the same goal: we all want to ensure that the quality of education is good and we are working very much together with the union. Nearly every week we are in discussions with them. They are very powerful in Finland. Nearly all of the teachers are members. I think we don't have big differences in our thinking. They are very good partners for us.
It's really important to pay attention to teacher training, in-service training and working conditions. Of course, the teachers always say we also have to pay attention to their salaries. But in Finland, it seems that the salaries are not the main reason it's an attractive profession. Teachers aren't very badly paid. They earn the average if you look at other academic professions.
Global competitiveness requires that all students develop competencies for life and work, not just some students. Therefore, a country's educational system must be equitable, accessible, and flexible. Cooperation, not competition, is a principal pillar of educational system success. Also essential is a tremendous investment in teaching quality. But beware of standardized testing, as it will undermine the achievement of these objectives.