COMPARATIVE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

1. History of Education
in
FINLAND

2. Finland is famous for its good
education system

3. Finland's first school were founded by the church and
Catholic monks at the latter part of 13th century
The Church was the main organizer of education
until the mid 19th century
The first language of instruction was Finnish
and was founded in 1859.

4. Royal Academy of Turku is the first university and was
founded in 1640 and it was moved to Helsinki during Russian
rule and became University of Helsinki.
Finland was among the last countries to make education compulsory. The act
concerning general compulsory education came into force in 1921 and its aim is
to make a way in educational inequality between children in towns and the
country.
In 1921 the so called folk school (kansakoulo) offered
six years education and education became
compulsory for all children aged 7-13

5. After the 4th grade in folk school, academically gifted
pupils could apply to grammar school (oppikoulu)
comprised of 5-6 years middle school and 3 years high
school. It is more theoretical and academic in nature
compare to folk school.
grammar school has tuition fees that is why smaller
cities and rural areas cannot afford to go their and it
cannot cater the economically disadvantage families.

6. After Second World War, the two-path system was
seen to be old fashioned.
1972-1977 a new school system was implemented and it is
called the nine year free comprehensive school system.
Its aim is provide citizens the skills and knowledge they need in the
fast changing society and to give equal opportunities to everyone
despite of their socioeconomic status.

7. even though vocational education has existed in some forms
from the early 20th century, reforming and formalizing
vocational education was seen as important.
In 1974, vocational education was formalized as continuing from
comprehensive education, containing academic studies aside
technical ones and provides a path to higher education.

8. in 1994 the National Board of Education designed a national core curriculum
which gave only broad aims and content guidelines for teaching different
subjects and the municipalities and the schools set up their own local curricula
In 2021compulsory education where extended to 18 years,
with upper secondary education and is also free to all
students.
Teachers in Finland have substantial social prestige. The system is highly decentralized
and teachers are trusted and not closely centrally monitored. The journey of
Finnish Education system took to become one of the worlds most high
performing education system that should neither be underestimated nor forgotten.

9. Hyvӓӓ houmenta
-Good Morning
Hyvӓӓ pӓivӓӓ
-Good Day

10. mitӓ kuuluu
-How are You
Olen kunnossa
-I am fine

11. -Thank you
kiitos
Ole hyvӓ
-Your welcome

12. Finland's Education model
- Classroom are typically described as learner-centered. As emphasis on
students self assessment.
- Students are expected to take an active role in designing their own learning
activities.
- Students are expected to work collaboratively in teams on projects, and there is
a substantial focus on projects that cut across the traditional subject or
disciplinary lines.

13. Finland's basic education Act
- Develops unique holistic approach that continues to evolve and has produce
significant results.
- One of the basic principle in their education is that all people must have equal
access to high-quality education training. The same opportunities for education
are available to all citizens irrespective of their ethnic origin, age, wealth
language and location.
- Finland’s holistic and trust-based education system produces excellent resuts,
ranked near the top in reading, maths and science as well as in overall child
well-being levels.

14. Finland's General Education Policy
- Key elements in Finland education policy includes quality, efficiency, equity,
well-being and internationalization. Geared to promote effectiveness of the
Finnish welfare society. It education policy is built on the lifelong learning
principle and free education.
- There is a wide-spread consensus of the main pillars of education policy and
the policy is characterized by cooperation and continuity and evolution rather
than revolution.
- There is tripartite partnership among government, trade unions and employers
organization in policy making.
- The focus of education is on learning rather than testing

15. National goals for basic education and transversal
competencies in the 21st Century
• Knowledge
• Skills
• Values
• Attitudes
• Will

16. Teacher in Finland
- Enjoy pedagogical autonomy in the classroom.
- Considered pedagogical experts.
- Entrusted with considerable independence in the classroom.
- Have decision-making authority as concerns school policy and management.
- Deeply involved in drafting the local curricula and in development work.
- Have responsibility for the choice of textbooks and teaching methods.

17. Early Childhood Education and Care
- All children under school-age have a subjective right to early childhood
education care (ECEC).
- The municipalities are responsible for arranging the ECEC services, their
quality and supervision.
- The Finnish ECEC is based on an integrated approach to care, education and
teaching the so- called “educare” model.
- Learning through play is essential.
- Participation in ECEC is subject to fee which depends on family income and the
number of children.

18. Basic Education is non-selective
- It’s objective is to support pupil’s growth towards humanity and ethically
responsible member of the society and to provide them with the knowledge and
skills needed in life.
- It encompasses 9 years and caters for all those &-16 years old.
- All schools follow a national core curriculum, which includes the objectives and
core contents of different subjects.
- The education providers, usually the local education authorities and the
schools themselves draw up their own curricula within the framework of the
national core curriculum.

19. Upper secondary education and training
- Compose of general and vocational upper secondary education.
- Both forms usually take three years and give eligibility for higher education.
- Vocational education and training are popular for upper secondary studies after
basic education.
- The biggest fields are technology, communications and transport and social
services, health and sports.
- The selection is based on their on their grade point averages for the theoretical
subjects in the basic education certificates

21. K-12 Education System of Finland
Education in Finland is free at all levels from pre-school to tertiary
education. At pre-primary and primary levels, meals, textbooks, and
transportation is free; while at secondary level and tertiary education
levels, pupils have to buy their own textbooks.
In Finland, the basic/primary and upper secondary education are
managed by the local authorities or joint municipal boards. The funding is
by the local as well as state authorities.

22. The Ministry of Education and Culture lays down the education
policy and the Finnish National Board of Education implements the
policy. The Finnish National Board of Education works with the Ministry
of Education to develop the structure and content for early childhood,
pre-primary, primary, upper secondary and adult education.

23. K-12 Education Levels in Finland
Early Childhood Education and Care
Early childhood comprises day care centers and kindergarten. The
main aim is the development and growth of kids.
Day-care
Most of the kids in Finland go for day care. A fee is charged depending
on the duration the kid will spend in day care or the income of the kid’s
family. The day care centers are owned and managed by the private care
centers or the municipality. Many activities like games, sports, music, art,
dance etc. are carried out at the centers, thereby developing basic skills.

24. TYPES OF DAY CARE CENTERS:
•Family day care providers: These take kids into their own homes
and take care of them.
•Open day care center: In open day care centers, kids spend time
in their own groups or together with adults. These are free of cost.
•Playgroups: The playgroups also provide day care facilities to kids.
These are open for a few hours only.

25. PRE-PRIMARY EDUCATION
• This form of education is free and voluntary. It provides basic
skills and knowledge to the kids, and prepares them for
comprehensive schools.
• Enrollment for pre-school is done in January or February.
Pre-school/pre-primary education is organized by the
Municipalities.
• Kids learn about environment, art, mathematics, religion,
language and culture. Everything at pre-school is taught in a
playful manner. Teachers develops separate curriculum for
each kid.
• Age: 6 years old

26. BASIC EDUCATION- COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL
In Finland, all children receive basic education. It is compulsory to
receive this form of education. Children at the age of 7 starts this level of
education and it goes on until the age of 16 years. The school curriculum is
based on a national core curriculum.
•Duration: 9 years
•Grades: 1-9
This education is completed in comprehensive school (In Finnish:
peruskoulu; Swedish: grundskola; English: "basic school").

27. Comprehensive school are run by the local authorities, and
comprises:
•Primary school (alakoulu) : This school covers grades 1 to 6.
•Secondary school (ylakoulu): This school covers grade 7 to 9.
In comprehensive school, students study a lot of
compulsory subjects and during the final grades of primary and
secondary school, they can select optional subjects. There are
recreational activities for children. Extracurricular art
education for children is offered by dance, music, arts and crafts
and other institutions.

28. TYPES OF COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOLS-
There are schools that specialized in a particular
subject like:
•Art
•Physical Education
•Music
•Language
•Internationality
•Special pedagogy
SCHOOL YEAR
The school year is of 190 days between mid-August
and early June. Schools in Finland are open 5 days a
week, and the minimum number of lessons per week
varies between 19 and 30, depending upon the level and
number of elective subjects taken.

29. UPPER SECONDARY EDUCATION
Upper Secondary Education comprises General and
Vocational upper secondary education and training. No
tuition fee is charged. Education is free.
•Age: 16 or 17 years old
Selection Ways and Means: Students are selected on
the basic past academic records or grades in their
basic education certificate

30. GENERAL UPPER SECONDARY EDUCATION
The studies at this level are more theoretical and provide education mainly in
humanities and natural sciences. It ends with a national matriculation examination.
Few of the upper secondary school are specialized, i.e. they provide education in
particular areas, like physical education, music etc. The general upper secondary
school prepares students for higher education- Universities or universities of applied
sciences.
Duration: 3 years
Admission Requirement: Students must hold a basic education- school leaving
certificate
Application Process: Students can apply for upper secondary schools in a joint
application procedure.

31. VOCATIONAL UPPER SECONDARY EDUCATION
This form of education provides studies for a specific
vocation. This level provides basic skills and knowledge
required in a particular vocation. Vocational qualifications
can be finished in upper secondary VET, or as competence-based
qualification, or apprenticeship training. The competence-based
qualifications are finished by adults, and the young learners
finish their vocational upper secondary qualification at
vocational institutions. After completing vocational upper
secondary education, students can apply for further higher
education-Universities or universities of applied sciences.
The vocational qualification has 120 credits, consisting
of:
•Vocational subjects: 90 credits
•General core subjects: 20 credits

32. Duration: 3 years
Admission Requirement: Students must hold a basic education- school leaving
certificate (comprehensive school)
Application Process: Students can apply for vocational upper secondary schools
through a national joint application process.
Fields of study:
Vocational education is provided in eight different fields:
fields:
•Humanities and Education
•Natural Sciences
•Culture
•Natural Resources and Environment
•Tourism, Catering and Domestic Services
•Social Services, Health and Sports
•Social Sciences, Business and Administration

33. GRADING SYSTEM
Finland avoids high stake competitive tests,
yet tops the list of PISA and rated as one of the
best school education systems around the world.
The grading system of the schools and
universities in Finland vary.

34. Comprehensive School
The Comprehensive schools in Finland use 10-point
grading scale where 4 is considered as "Fail". The grades
below 4 are discarded.

35. Upper Secondary School
The Upper Secondary Schools in Finland use the same
grading mechanism as the comprehensive schools, but the
matriculation examination grades are in Latin. The grading
system uses bell curve grading.
Grade Scale Grade Description
Grade Description (In
English)
Translation US Grade
L 7.00 Laudatar Outstanding Praiseworthy A+
E 6.00-6.99
Eximia cum laude
approbatur
Excellent
Approved with
Exceptional Honors
A
M 5.00-5.99
Magna cum laude
approbatur
Very Good
Approved with Great
Honors
B+
C 4.00-4.99 Cum laude approbatur Good Approved with Honors B
B 3.00-3.99 Lubenter approbatur Satisfactory
Approved with
Satisfaction
C
A 2.00-2.99 Approbatur Pass Approved D
I 1.00-1.99 Improbatur Fail Not Approved F

36. HIGHER EDUCATION GRADING SCALE
The Higher Education uses grading scale 0-5.Passing an examination requires
obtaining 50 % of the maximum points in the examination.
Grade Scale
Grade Description (In
Finnish)
Grade Description (In
English)
US Grade
ET 5.00 Erinomainen Tiedot Excellent A
KT 4.00-4.99 Kiitettava Very Good B+
HT 3.00-3.99 Hyva Good B
TT 2.00-2.99 Tyydyttava Satisfactory C
VT 1.00-1.99 Valttava Sufficient D

37. LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION
Finland is a bi-lingual country. It has two official
languages:
•Finnish
•Swedish
Most of the educational institutions language of
instruction is Finnish. Swedish is used mainly along the coast
and Abo Akademi. At some higher education institutions, studies
are either in Swedish or in Finnish. Higher Education programs
are also delivered in English.
ACADEMIC YEAR
The academic year is split into two semesters:
Autumn Semester: Commences in late August or early September
and ends in mid- December before Christmas.
Spring Semester: Starts from early January and continues until

38. No standardized testing
-their only exception is something called the National Matriculation
Exam, which is voluntary test for students to end of an upper-
secondary school.
- All children throughout Finland are graded on an individualized basis
and grading system set by their teacher.

39. Cooperation not competition
- Finland’s educational system doesn’t worry about artificial or
arbitrary merit based systems.
- There are no lists of top performing schools or teachers.
- It is not an environment of competition instead cooperation is the
norm
”Real winners do not compete”
-Samuli Panorin

40. A more relaxed atmosphere
less stress,less unneededregimentationand more caring.
- Students usually only have a couple of classes a day.
- They have several times to eat their food, enjoy recreational activities and
generally just relaxed.
- Spread through out the day are 15-20 minute intervals where the kids can get up
and stretch, grab some fresh air and decompress.
- Teachers room are set up all over finland schools, where they can lounge about
and relax, prepare or the day or just simple socialize. Teachers are people too
and need to be functional so they can operate at the best of their abilities.

41. Accountability for teachers (not required)
-the bar is set so high for teachers, that there is often no reason to
have a rigorous ”grading” system for teachers.
-all teachers are required to have a master’s degree before entering
the profession.
-If a teacher isn’t performing well, it’s the individual principal’s
responsibility to do something about it.
There is no word as accountability in Finnish. Accountability is something that is
left when responsibility has been subtracted.”
-Pasi Sahlberg

42. Makes the basics as priority
- It wasn’t about dominating with excellent marks or upping the ante. Instead,
they looked to make the school environment a more equitable place.
Finland focuses on making these basics a priority:
- Education should be an instrument to balance out social inequality.
- All students receive free school meals.
- Ease of access to health care.
- Psychological counseling
- Individualized guidance
- Beginning with the individual in a collective environment of equality.

43. Starting school at an older age
- Students start school when they are seven years old. They are given free reign
in developing childhood years to not be chained to compulsory education. It
simply just a way to let a kid be a kid.
- There are only 9 years of compulsory school that children are required to
attend. Everything past the 9th grade or at the age of 16 is optional.
- Finland alleviates forced ideal and instead opts to prepare its children for the
real world.

44. Providing professional options past a traditional
college degree
- Offers options that are equally advantageous for the students continuing their
education.
- There is an upper secondary school which is a three year program that
prepares students for matriculation Test that determines their acceptance into
a university. This is usually based on the specialties they’ve acquired during
their time in high school.
- There is a vocational education, which is a three-year program that trains the
students for various careers.

45. Wakes up later for less strenuous schooldays
- Any schools usually start from 9:00-9:45 am and finish by 2:00-2:45 am to avoid
sleepy and uninspired students.
- They have longer class periods and much longer breaks in between because
they believe that early start times are detrimental to students well-being,
health and maturation.
- Overall system isn’t there to ram and cram information to their students, but to
create an environment of holistic learning.

46. Consistent instruction from the same teachers
- Students in finland often have the same teacher for up to six years of education.
- The teacher can take the role as a mentor or even a family member. During
those years mutual trust and bonding are built so that both parties know and
respect each other.
- Different needs and learning styles vary on an individual basis. Finnish teachers
can account to this because they’ve figured out the student’s own idiosyncratic
needs. They can accurately chart and care for their progress and help them
reach their goals.

47. Less homework and outside work is required
- Students are getting everything they need to get done in school without the
added pressures that comes with excelling at a subject. Without having to
worry about grades and busy-work they are able to focus on the true task at
hand-learning and growing as human being.
- They are outperforming cultures that have toxic school-to-life balances
without the unneeded or unnecessary stress.

48. Kiitos!