What is the Finnish model of education?

The Finnish education system is different from the standardised ones followed in India where government-appointed experts and agencies draw up a curriculum, teachers teach from set books, and students learn it by heart and are then assessed through hours-long exams.

Experts say under the Finnish model of education students are taught using practical methods and they are encouraged to use their common sense. It focuses on students’ well-being which helps in their holistic growth along with learning, they add. The Finnish model gives students a chance to learn about soil by going to the fields and about measurements by making lemonade. Students count moving cars or trees to learn counting and calculations, sticks and stones are used to teach patterns and shapes, and much more, according to the experts.

“The Finnish education system believes in learning by doing. Children are given a lot of opportunities to explore their interests and likes. The main difference between the Indian education system and the Finnish education system is the capacity to explore. There are many excellent things that we have in the Indian education system, but we have to understand the fact that each child is unique and the requirements of each child are different. This is where the flexibility in the curriculum, day plans, lesson plan comes that makes the Finnish Model effective,” explains Chani Trivedi, Director of Nordic High International School, Indore.

When it comes to assessment, Finland doesn’t have any or minimal formal examinations, instead, students are assessed in more than one way to ensure real learning is happening instead of just getting grades. In addition to this, teacher training is one of the key points of this education system as experts believe it is the educators who have the power to scrap the theoretical approach and help students learn in an engaging way. 

The Finnish model of education is slowly gaining traction in India—a country which has thrived on theory-based classes and has the toughest exams in the world. Experts are introducing the Finnish model of education right from the elementary classes in India. While some schools have adopted this method till Class 4, some have gone as high as Class. 

“The Finnish model of education purely believes in providing experiential learning following the concept of phenomenal-based learning, which enables students to learn by doing. Hence, it is a student-centered, multidisciplinary model of learning focusing on being their voice and developing a sense of responsibility while dealing with real-world problems and issues,” explains Jyoti Arora, the principal of Delhi World Public School, Noida Extension.

However, no school in India has been able to adopt the Finnish model of education solely. Experts believe it is not possible to completely shift to this model of education in India. “Children will have to appear for the crucial board exams and compete for the entrance exams,” says Ashish Srivastava, the CEO of Finland Education Hub.