The education system in Finland

During one of our courses at university we got some information about the finnish education system.

Finnish children start school at the age of 7 when they attend primary school. Before going to primary school they can attend pre-primary school which is getting more and more popular. After pre-primary school the system has first been divided into a lower level which is from 1^st to 6^th grade and upper level which is from 7^th to 9^th grade. Nowadays the 1^st to 9^th grade is put together and is seen as compulsory education.

From 1^st to 6^th grade a class teacher teaches nearly all the subjects but from 7^th to 9^th grade subjects teachers are teaching the subject they have learnt at university.

After the compulsory education you can go on with high school, apprenticeship training or the 10^th grade class.

High school would last for 3 years and start at the age of 16 where you will graduate with an examination. 

I was highly astonished that there is no special education for children with higher intelligence even though Finland is leading the Pisa studies. In my point of view this could be their reason of success because children will help each other while learning and are able to learn things on their own and from each other. When I was visiting some schools I realised that the pupils are more talkative and that the teachers are not as strict as they are in Switzerland. The lessons are characterised by communication and enthusiasm.

The classroom while doing some activities

English course book

Moreover, I was told by one of the teachers of the schools that they have to

organise 2-3 culture visits per year where they go and see theatre plays, museums, etc. This should help them to get to know their own city and culture better.

What is more, all students eat at the school cantine and are not allowed to go home during lunch break due to the fact that the teacher is still responsible for the children. Lunch is free of charge for all the students.

When it comes to languages, Finland is a multilingual country. Especially in Turku, which is a bilingual city, pupils have to learn Swedish in school. They usually start learning Swedish at 7th grade and English from 3rd grade.

I extremely enjoyed visiting those different schools in Turku and Forssa and even got the pleasure to teach them and tell them a little bit about Switzerland. At one of the visits I asked them about their favourit subjects. The boys like Physics and the girls prefer Arts.