Finland Has World's Best Education System

A new report into world education shows Finland has the best system. The global study is called "The Learning Curve" and is from the British magazine "The Economist". It aims to help governments provide a better education to students. The 52-page report looked at the education system in 50 countries. 

Researchers analyzed millions of statistics on exam grades, literacy rates, attendance, and university graduation rates. Asia did well in the report, with South Korea, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore finishing second, third, fourth and fifth. The United States came 17th in the study, while Mexico, Brazil and Indonesia filled the bottom three positions in the top 50.

The Learning Curve reported on five things that education leaders should remember. The first is that spending lots of money on schools and teachers does not always mean students will learn. Second is that "good teachers are essential to high-quality education". 

The report said teachers should be "treated as the valuable professionals they are, not as technicians in a huge, educational machine". Numbers three and four are that a country's culture must have a strong focus on the importance of education, and parents have a key part to play. Finally, countries need to "educate for the future, not just the present." The report said: "Many of today's job titles…simply did not exist 20 years ago."


COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. What was the new report all about?
2. In which position did South Korea finish on the list?
3. How many things did the report want education leaders to remember?
4. What must a country's culture have a strong focus on?
5. What did the report say about many job titles today?


EXERCISE 2. SHARING IDEAS

1. Why do you think Finland's education system is so good?
2. What do you think of the education system in your country?
3. How can schools provide a better education to students?
4. Do you think spending lots of money on teachers and schools means the education is better?
5. Should teachers get paid the same as lawyers, doctors and bankers? Why or why not?



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