Finland the final word in education? Here's why experts disagree

Delhi’s Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday made another plea on his Twitter account to the Delhi Lieutenant Governor (LG) V K Saxena to allow teachers of city government-run schools to visit Finland for a training programme. The tweet has reignited a debate between the LG and the CM around the efficacy of Finland’s education system, and the necessity for Indian educators to learn from this country’s model.

Kejriwal, who has repeatedly vouched for Finland’s education model, has claimed that more than 1,000 educators from Delhi who went abroad in the past for training, have “transformed their schools” after coming back. Deputy Chief Minister and the state’s education minister Manish Sisodia, who also holds the education portfolio, has also repeatedly claimed that the Scandinavian country’s education system is considered to be the best in the world.

On the other hand, the LG has maintained the training can be done in the country itself, and teachers don’t need to go to Finland.

So how different is the Finnish education system, from India’s school education setup?

For one, children below the age of 6 are not always required to Finland school starts later, between the ages of 6 and 7. In India, children often as young as 3 are enrolled in playschools.

Schools in Finland also begin later in the day, usually after 9 am. In India, children are often expected to be in school as early as 7 am. Even after school is over at 3 pm, students in India often head over to private remedial classes. This allows them very little time for extracurricular activities.

In Finland, however, schools put less stress on rigidly structured, syllabus-based teaching and testing structures. Finland has no mandated standardised tests, apart from one examination at the end of senior year in high school.

Also, homework in the Nordic nation is minimal. In India, it is the opposite, with school kids drowning under piles of homework. So much so that even during holidays/breaks, they are not spared from it.

In fact, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), students in Finland have the least amount of homework compared to any other nation in the world. On average, they spend only half an hour a night working on school-related activities.

Finland is routinely near the top in the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) tests and that boasts a high school graduation rate of more than 90 per cent, according to a report by Al Jazeera.

In Finland, teachers too are largely free from external requirements such as inspection and standardised testing. In fact, school inspections were done away with in the 1990s.

On the other hand, teaching programmes in the Nordic nation, are said to be the most rigorous. As an OECD document specifies, “Teachers are required to have a master’s degree that includes research and practice-based studies.”

Dr Anup K Singh, Director General of Nirma University points out, "It has been proven that the education system in Finland is better than those in several developed countries. The teacher training is rigorous and it is not easy to take admission in their teacher training programmes, which also focus on learning rather than mere testing. In addition, Finland pays its teachers pretty well."  

However, not all experts don’t believe the Nordic nation’s impressive educational setup will necessarily be a perfect fit for Indian schools. The principal of a school in South Delhi told Business Standard, “India’s employable population is expanding by the day, and its workforce is one of the youngest in the world. Education at school and college level are therefore much more competitive and result oriented.” 

She also emphasised that Finland has a more homogenous “socio-cultural canvas, as opposed to India which thrives on diversity. While it is easier for schools in countries such as Finland to follow a more centralised and uniform model of education, Indian educational boards, schools as well as individual teachers must reach and cater to a more diverse range of students.”

Ranjita Raman, CEO of Mumbai-based ed-tech firm Jaro Education, adds, “The education systems of Finland and India possess distinct strengths and challenges, and it is crucial to acknowledge the contextual and cultural factors that shape the system. It is also worth noting that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to education, and a methodology that yields fruitful results in one situation may not prove to be as effective in another.” Instead, Raman points, it will be helpful to identify, prioritize and therefore combine areas for enhancement within each structure. 

Educators also believe the National Education Policy 2020 is a definite step towards incorporating some of the desirable aspects of global educational systems like that of Finland.