A More Progressive Education

Many people question the effectiveness and the relevance of our current educational systems. It is felt that much of the time is spent learning things that are neither interesting to the students nor beneficial for what they will be doing in their lives. Many alternative methods have been created such as Montessori and Steiner schools, but perhaps the best example for a practical reform of education can be found in Finland.
Dr. Pasi Shalberg, a Finnish educator, says that high-quality teachers are at the heart of Finland’s educational success story. It started in the 1970’s when the government decided to require all teachers to have a master’s degree, and that the government would pay for it. As a result the teaching profession became highly respected. This is reflected in the fact that the University of Helsinki usually has over 2,400 people competing for 120 slots in their (fully subsidized) master’s program for schoolteachers. In fact, it is more difficult to get into teacher education than it is for law or medicine – quite a contrast to other Western countries.
The Finnish system of basic education goes from age 7 to 16, and after that most students continue on to either vocational or academic schools. Dr. Shalberg sums up the essence of the basic system this way: “The first six years of education are not about academic success. We don’t measure children at all. It’s about being ready to learn and finding your passion.”