Jonathan Morgan

I don’t normally post here about education (“you don’t normally post,” I hear you quip) but I thought that these 26 Amazing Facts About Finland’s Unorthodox Education System were fascinating.

For a long time I’ve wondered if the UK is really doing a good job at educating it’s young: the pressure is on from the age of 7 when they have their first exams; pupils are divided up based on performance (regardless of the fact that performance can ebb and flow throughout development); and there’s such a heavy emphasis on traditional subjects that may form a child’s academic understanding, but doesn’t prepare them for the multifaceted and fast-changing world of adulthood.

In the face of this, Finland appears to be doing something right:

• Kids don’t start school until they’re 7
• They’re not put through formal assessments for the first 6 years of school
• There’s less performance-based division
• Educational performance is among the highest in the world

Read more here

Here’s a trailer to a documentary, The Finland Phenomenon, that gives an overview of this intriguing school system…

Be warned, however, that it doesn’t offer any explanations for their dodgy death metal scene!