Sursa imagine: http://www.visitfinland.com
Finland is one of the countries with the highest standards for living. After the economical recession of the 90s , the government decided to dedicate significant funds to education, research and technology. The result: in less than ten years, Finland reached to the highest rank as a social and economical welfare. For example, Nokia. Initially, a village with a single factory which produced rubber boots. Then, a television factory. Finally, on the alliance between the patronage and syndicate, they count on cellular phones. Today, they are global leaders, ahead of Germany, Japan and United States. In Finland, it’s usual for a regular teenager to finish the first eight grades with excellent marks, speaking perfect English and reading a book per week. The Finnish educational system is the best and most developed one in the world. The secret? Around the 1600s , the following circumstance was approved: “ the person which doesn’t know how to write and read is not allowed to have children.”.
7:45 Saili (15) is waiting for the urban bus which will drop him off at the school’s gate ( there are no school buses). The bus passes every 5 minutes. The Finnish people try to get their sons used to independency at a young age. Very few of the children get carried to school by their parents with their own car. The ticket is provided by the community. According to the law, no student can live more than 5 km away from school.
As for appearance , the school inspires severity . No cigarettes, no pieces of paper, no graffiti-filled walls.
9:15 45 Minute classes. Finnish people give more importance to the classes of mother tongue, math and English. 75% of the subjects are common all over the country. As for the rest, it is chosen by the school, in agreement with the teachers, parents and students. Classes are short, intense and especially very participatory. The inside of the school proves an even higher level of cleanliness. Everything seems brand new. The desks are clean, without any scratches or harrows . The school is a public and ,of course, free of charge one, though, having the facilities of a wealthy college of Spain . The classrooms benefit of enormous plasma TV screens with anoptic system , a 200 liter aquarium with exotic fishes, full-facilitated kitchen, audio-visual devices, conditioned air and many plants . Every two students are provided with one computer . A dozen of sewing machines in the tailoring room , blowpipes, carpenter tools, skiing equipment… An indoor gym , an auditorium for drama classes and an auto-serve dining hall. The books are free, the school materials are free, even the food is free.
Sursa imagine: wwp.greenwichmeantime.com
12:00 Warm, nutritious and free food. Saili has half an hour for lunching at the school’s restaurant. According to the Finnish law, it’s a “must” for the menu to be free, nutritious with a large variety of fruits and salads. The main drink is either water or milk. As for the costs, they are paid by every town’s community . If the classes elongate until mid-day , the school is obligated to give a snack to the students.
16:05 Back home, Saili is playing Hockey with his younger brother. There is no hoodlumism, the streets are safe. When the night falls, him and his little brother , who both learned to cook at school, are preparing dinner for their parents in case they’re late for work.
18:30 The dinner and sauna (3 times a week) are the precious moments when the family is together. There is a lot of conversation, especially about the children’s projects, desires, progress and needs, but also planning together for the family holidays.
20:15 Doing homework, then going to sleep. Finnish kids have a lot of homework, but Saili gets them done within one or two hours because he is anxious to jump into bed and read an English version of Harry Potter.
Saili apprehends school as a job.
“If a child wants to study, he can become a doctor, judge or engineer, even if he’s family is a poor one.”
“Every child’s education costs the Finnish country 200.000 euro, starting from kindergarten until the graduation of a university. It’s the best usage of our assessment money. “
The students only pay the food(2.50 euro at the college’s restaurant) and the books . Then, the country helps them emancipate by giving them doles for renting a flat and their first salary. The students have a very high level of respect towards the teachers , the politeness being present in every moment of their relationship. There are no uniforms, still, the students dress accordingly and are always groomed. The same conditions are found in the heart of Helsinki or beyond the Arctic Circle. The educational system is not high-end and does not want to create geniuses but to get to a higher general level. Homework is sacred. Also, a student who cheats has a very bad reputation, even among other students. It is outrageous for a student to pull out a cheat sheet while sitting an exam. The student who would dare to do this would be isolated from the rest of the students. “Why risk it when you can learn it?” On the same line, while becoming adults, they won’t be able to imagine what a “tax evasion” is. It’s not a shock that Finland is ahead of the countries with the highest statistics of transparency and lowest of public corruption.
President of Finland, Tarja Halonen, a teacher licensed in Law states: “ When I scold my students, I tell them they are frittering away the money of the contributors.”
There are no repeating students, although there is just one opportunity to sit an exam, “for the simple reason that life itself can be only lived once”. Students learn until they sit the exam, but passing on next year is automatic.
KELEMEN PETRA
Saili’s “work day” is intense, starting from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Classes are short though, lasting only 45 minutes. One of the breaks must be spent outdoors. Rational thinking is firstly stimulated before mechanic memorizing. Classes are as relaxing as dance, drama, digital art, hairstyling, martial arts, hockey, gastronomy, first-aid, mechanical or musical classes. Students play the violin, electric guitar or whatever they like. And once again, rational thinking is encouraged and talked about. (TRANSLATED BY: KELEMEN PETRA)
See original text at: https://logopaper.wordpress.com/2013/01/29/reteta-finlandeza/
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