Education is given a priority in the European community. This is because one of the main priorities of the European community is to improve the quality and efficiency of education. The member countries are also concerned with improving the education systems of their countries Finland’s education system is rated as the best in the world for example. It has the fewest number of class hours in the world yet the students do well in common exams compared to others in Europe. Pupils and students in Finland have consistently been at the top in science and reading tests that are administered in the developed world. It has also done well in mathematics.
It was second after South Korea. The secret behind their success lies in the fact that the every one in the system has something to contribute to the education. Even the very weak student is considered and encouraged to do well. Children in Finland will start their schooling at the age of around seven years and this implies that when they go to school, they know what has brought them there and they learn with a lot of seriousness. Teachers are paid very well in Finland and so they work very hard. A culture of reading has long been created in Finland and children read even at home. (Horner, et el., 2007)
The education system of Britain has developed over time. It has grown from the grammar and secondary schools to the current modern system where the national curriculum is used. British students take two types of exams and testing is a major aspect in this system. The British government has a philosophy that underscores diversity, choice and excellence. It has some of the best universities in the world and given that it is a developed country, its education system is also doing well especially the higher education. (Mestenhauser, 1998)
Finland’s main purpose in education is to provide equal opportunity for every person to receive education. Basic education is compulsory and guaranteed. The government has an obligation to provide education to all. The system of education here starts with pre-school (6years), comprehensive school (7-15 years),gymnasium and vocational school, polytechnic and bachelors level and lastly the licentiate level or doctor which is the highest level of education that leads to employment. (Bennett, 1991)
The European commission is very concerned with the education sector. It demands that every member state provides its people with education and training facilities. Its main duty is to support the countries. Its main focus is the modernization of the education system in all the countries. It has the Lisbon strategy which helps the member states exchange important information and strategies to modernize the education systems. The European Union emphasizes more on vocational training and higher education.
Through this participation in educational planning, the European commission has ensured that those member countries invest in education and thus promote it in the whole of Europe. The local and the central governments have the greatest responsibility to ensure education provision to their people. Some support the education of their people fully. They enforce laws for compulsory education and persuade people to attend school. Inspectorates are tools used in some of the countries to ensure that education is provided without biasness and with out laxity. These are the same governments that pay the teachers and employ others. Through this participation, education is provided and many who wish to acquire it are assured of this. (Green, 1990)
We may try to compare different education systems but it is very important to understand that different systems fall under different economic and cultural contexts. Funding, location of the school, teacher maintenance, and the level of development are just some of the factors that could bring differences in education. There are no private schools in Finland for example. This means that all schools are public and offer equal opportunity to the students both rich and poor.
In Britain education is bought with money. Many parents opt to take their children in private schools and pay for what they think is quality education for them. The teachers in private schools are highly paid and there tends to be a difference between the qualities of education offered. This implies that the two systems are placed in quite different social and economic contexts. (Horner, et el., 2007)
The teacher education will also differ. In Finland, a teacher has to go up to the masters level of education. This master’s degree must be obtained from an elite university. Those people who have undergraduate degrees are supposed to teach in nursery schools. For the secondary school leavers to pursue teaching, they must pass all the exams provided by the departments and pass through rigorous interviews. This is also a complete parallel to the British system where teachers need to have a degree and where teaching is not regarded as a prestigious career. This brings a complete difference between the education systems in the two countries.
The learning is in-depth at the university and teachers leave the university with a very deep knowledge of what they will be doing in the schools. Research has that for one to qualify as a university graduate; he or she must write a thesis with a minimum of 10000 words. Education is highly valued in Finland. It will not be possible to get to such a culture in Britain. Educated people are not respected here because every body seems to be educated. It comes without saying that if education is respected, the system will be developed and the general public will benefit. (Pike& Selby1988)
Religion plays a major role in the system of education in these two countries. Many Finns are strict Lutherans and at the age of 15, they go through a confirmation camp and at 18, they do national service where they train to serve humanity and become responsible members of the society. Discipline is thus maintained their schools and you will never hear of discipline problems in schools. Teachers will not waste time handling discipline issues. This is unlike Britain where discipline is an issue. We have had very serious discipline cases in Britain. This issue of different cultures as far as religion is concerned affects education differently. (Pike& Selby1988)
The issue of competition is also different in these two countries. There exists no competition between schools in Finland unlike in Britain where schools compete because of social classes. There are no social classes in Finland. There is no extreme poverty and no extreme wealth. The fins are not as formal as the Britons and there cultures are totally different. It may not be possible to get many similarities between the two systems. This analysis shows that there are great differences between the set ups in which the education systems are placed. (Pike & Selby 1999)
Due to these different contexts, there are some aspects which must differ. Education opportunities for people in the two countries can not be the same. We have found that in Finland many or even all schools are public and learners do not pay any single cent for their education. They even take lunch in school and it becomes very easy to ensure that all school going aged children go to school. Since the issue of private schools is not a provision in Finland, education standards are similar in the whole country.
This encourages all the parents to take their children to school and the children are also encouraged because they don’t feel demoralized by the fact that what they are getting is different from what their colleagues in private schools are getting.. (Mestenhauser, 1998)
Another issue worth discussion is the issue of teacher education and the importance given to the teaching profession in these countries. The findings of a research done in the year 2003 and the year 2006 in Britain show that about 50 percent of the respondents do not consider the profession attractive. This is a large number of people given that teachers play a very important role in the society to mould the young and the growing population. The research continued to indicate that the young people who do not like the career are many compared to the aged population. This has an implication that some students do not like what the teacher is doing in the class.
Majority of those who saw teaching unattractive cited little pay and big work loads as a reason for their response. If we compare this to the situation in Finland, we find a great difference. As discussed earlier, teaching is a prestigious and respected career in the country. These differences can bring about difference in education systems of Finland and Britain. Where teachers are respected and highly esteemed by majority of the people, education is promoted and this explains why Finland’s education system is rated among the best in the world. (Pike & Selby 1999)
The above is just a brief comparison of the two education systems and there are still many more aspects of discussion which can explain the differences and similarities between the systems. It may seem that the education system of Finland is better. However to come up with such a conclusion needs a lot of analysis since cultures, economic and even political contexts of these two countries are totally different. (Mestenhauser, 1998)
Reference list
Bennett, C.ed. 1991. Strengthening Multicultural and Global Perspectives in the Curriculum, A. K. Moodley.
Green, A. 1990. Education and State Formation: The Rise of Education Systems in England, France and the USA. New York, St. Martin’s Press.
Horner, W. et el., 2007. The Education Systems of Europe. The Netherlands, Springer.
Mestenhauser, A.J. 1998. Travelling the Unpaved Road to Democracy from Communism: a Cross-cultural perspective on Change, in Higher Education in Europe, XXIII, 1, UNES CO.
Pike, G. & Selby, D. 1988. Global Teacher, Global learner, Hodder & Stoughton, London.
Pike, G. & Selby, D. 1999. In the global classroom, Toronto. Pippin Publishing.