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PISA, acronym for Programme for International Student Assessment, assesses 15 year old students’ skills in reading, math and science. In the 2009 assessment 65 nations participated. 203 Finnish schools took part. In science and reading skills the Finnish students placed first among the 34 OECD countries, in math second. In 2006 the Finnish students were first in science and second in math and reading skills among the participating countries.
The 2009 student skill assessment bodes well for Finland’s competitiveness ten years down the road at the time when these students enter the workforce. Finland has a history of investing heavily in education. In an economical downturn education is one of the last to see budget cuts.
For those students who are accepted into Finnish colleges and vocational institutes (the competition is often fierce) the tuition is practically free all the way through post graduate studies. In this way the Finns ascertain that the best qualified students receive university training. In many other countries financial hardship shuts out gifted students from university studies. Reserving university studies for children of wealthy parents is not an efficient way of managing a nation’s human resources.
There have been voices of concern raised about underfunding of education in some other OECD countries. American companies are complaining about a shortage of skilled workers graduating from US universities. As a result these companies are forced to recruit students from foreign countries which have not designed their educational system to supply other nations with skilled workers.
The 2009 student skill assessment bodes well for Finland’s competitiveness ten years down the road at the time when these students enter the workforce. Finland has a history of investing heavily in education. In an economical downturn education is one of the last to see budget cuts.
For those students who are accepted into Finnish colleges and vocational institutes (the competition is often fierce) the tuition is practically free all the way through post graduate studies. In this way the Finns ascertain that the best qualified students receive university training. In many other countries financial hardship shuts out gifted students from university studies. Reserving university studies for children of wealthy parents is not an efficient way of managing a nation’s human resources.
There have been voices of concern raised about underfunding of education in some other OECD countries. American companies are complaining about a shortage of skilled workers graduating from US universities. As a result these companies are forced to recruit students from foreign countries which have not designed their educational system to supply other nations with skilled workers.
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