Singapore's former Minister for Education, Dr Ng Eng Hen, announced in the Singapore Budget 2011 that the government would invest $17 billion to promote a personal career development model named TEACH in order to raise the quality of the teaching force. He also revealed in the same speech that $25 billion had been spent on teacher training and upgrading over the past decade, a figure five times higher than the $4.8 billion that was spent on the construction of schools and the expansion of hardware and facilities over the same period.
"This is as it should be, because good teachers make the bigger difference," he said.
From the value the Ministry of Education (MOE) puts on its teachers, to the abolition of ranking, to branding and working towards "every school a good school", I see several things that remind me of Finland's educational reforms.
Over the last ten years, Finland has had two things to be especially proud of - Nokia and its education system. Ever since the iPhone's highly anticipated debut and the subsequent annihilation of its competitors, the brilliance of Nokia has become a distant memory. Finland's education system, though, remains highly regarded by the world. It is now a sacred land to which educators across the globe flock. The Finns are indifferent about this phenomenon - but they are delighted at the increase in tourist dollars it brings.
Finnish education is known for its long breaks, short hours, and the total absence of supplementary classes, enrichment lessons, examinations, ranking and stress. The result of such a unique education system is consistently high placings in all three categories - Math, Science and Reading - in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) organised every three years by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The Finns, who had never worked toward this outcome, are surprised.
Let us look at the education reforms Finland has undergone over the last half century.
Every Child to Have 9 Years of Compulsory Education in Comprehensive Schools
In 1963 the Finnish parliament made the bold decision to choose public education as its best shot at economic recovery. The dream to have every child enrolled into a comprehensive school for nine years was a collective one, shared by every citizen. And although the Finnish government has since seen several different parties and combinations of parties in power, they have never deviated from this common goal.
In 1979, the decision was made to move teacher preparation from teacher colleges into universities and to make it substantially more rigorous. Public funds were used to train teachers for five years up to their Master's degrees before they qualified as teachers. Teachers also went through stricter admissions. Since then, they have enjoyed the same social status as doctors and lawyers.
Each year, competition for teacher education programmes is stiff. High school graduates fight to get into these programmes not because the salaries are high, but because of the autonomy given to teachers and the respect accorded them by the society at large. In 2010 over 6,600 applicants competed for 660 available slots in primary school preparation programmes in the eight universities that train teachers.
In the 1980s the government devolved increasing levels of authority and responsibility for education to municipalities and schools. The national core curriculum became less detailed and prescriptive - for example, it used to run to 700 pages but it now covers each subject in as few as ten. At the same time, the government abolished streaming based on ability - which means that regardless of the children's academic proficiency, they are all schooled together. In addition, there are many "special teachers" in Finland's comprehensive schools whose job is to identify students in need of extra help and to work with them so they keep up with their classmates.
In the early 1990s, when the national school inspectorate was abolished and the duties of supervision and accountability fell on teachers and principals, educators became even more determined to do well.
In a country where the citizens are united in their goal to see every child succeed in education, almost 100 per cent of each cohort makes it into upper secondary school. Even students with severe disabilities can enter polytechnics, where 43 per cent of high school graduates go upon graduation to pick up specialised skills training in order to facilitate future work opportunities. The Finnish education system focuses on matching the right people to the right jobs and ensures that all students are well prepared for their respective futures.
The writer of Finnish Lessons, and Director of the Center for International Mobility and Co-operation, Dr Pasi Sahlberg, talked to me about the factors of the Finnish education system which set it apart.
Speaking of the educational reforms of the 1960s, he explained that their aim was to allow every child in Finland access to a fair and equal public education system. "This means that if we want our students to be competitive, we need to teach each child well and give him or her a fair chance at survival."
Finland's law stipulates that schools are not allowed to assess students based on their grades before Grade Six. For Singaporeans who are so used to examinations and streaming, this is, according to Sahlberg, incredible.
"In evaluating a student's ability and performance, we ask our teachers to use words to describe in detail each child's performance instead of a simple mark or grade. Each child has different strengths, and teachers have to observe their students in various activities in order to understand them and better develop their potential," said Sahlberg.
Before the 1960s, Finnish schools were not so exemplary. At that time, its education system followed the model of the Soviet Union, which is to say that when a student reached ten years of age, he or she was streamed according to his or her results, and placed in either the normal or the vocational class. This act effectively decided the child's future. This is, of course, very reminiscent of former streaming practices in Singapore.
The Abolition of Major Examinations
"We had ranking back in those days, on a scale of four to ten. Four constituted a fail while ten was the highest grade. We saw that even students at the primary level were comparing their grades with one another, and knew that they were either inferior or superior to their classmates. In every class, students were segregated into different groups by their results and were constantly comparing them. We later realised this was not a good assessment system because each student's ability and performance is innately different. In the same way, we do not judge elephants, penguins and monkeys on their ability to climb trees. Each animal has a different ability, and judging them on the single ability to climb trees is ridiculous. Hence, we decided to eliminate the ranking system, and make it impossible for teachers and students to judge their abilities based on a grade. Immediately, teachers welcomed this change, and the atmosphere in the classroom changed. Students co-operated more and class cohesion was strengthened," said Sahlberg.
In order to maintain a good foothold in a rapidly changing world economy Finland has completely overhauled its education system, and abolished not just ranking but standardised internal school exams as well as national examinations.
"Our students study for 12 years and the only exam they take is when they're 18 or 19 - the matriculation examination for entry into universities. A learning career without examinations allows both teachers and students to spend more time thinking and learning about the things they enjoy. Our teachers do not teach because of examinations, and neither do our students learn because of examinations. Our schools are places where students are happy to learn," added Sahlberg.
Co-operation is More Important Than Competition
In an environment without comparison, competition or examination, what motivates students to do well?
Said Sahlberg, "Before students enter university, there are matriculation exams, and competition at that level will be stiff. We want to defer this competition as late as we can. I know Asian schools are extremely competitive, and this competition comes from teachers, parents and students - everyone is comparing themselves with each other. We don't want to be like that. We want to inculcate in our students the idea that co-operation is more important than competition. Especially in pre-schools and the lower secondary levels, we want to create an atmosphere that is free from competition. Although we do not have a standardised exam there are still many ways of assessing the students' performance both within a class and across a whole school.
"The advantage of our education system is that we have fostered in our students the spirit of teamwork and noncompetitiveness. Consequently, we don't envision them fearing the realities of the working world when they graduate. We agree with the philosophy of a Russian psychologist - 'If students learn to co-operate today, they will be competitive tomorrow'.We therefore believe that once we teach our students how to co-operate and share, they will be able to be competitive when the need arises."
From Co-operation to Competition
How can one learn to be competitive from co-operation? "In order to compete, we must first know ourselves and our opponents. We need to know ourselves so that we may have confidence, and we need to know our opponents so that we understand their strengths and weaknesses. The process of knowing ourselves and our opponents comes most commonly from co-operation, and when we work with one another in a team we develop competitiveness. The world is full of competition, and we feel that we ought to learn to adapt to this competitive environment not through competition but through co-operation.
 "The ability to innovate is the key to survival in a highly competitive environment. This ability comes from crystallising one's creativity and the spirit of adventure, and is best groomed in a warm environment, not one of harsh and bitter competition. In an environment that is too competitive we often find ourselves unwilling to share or take risks. In such a scenario it is impossible to innovate. Hence, we need to teach students to learn from one another, and to share their ideas so that they can bounce them off each other and come up with new ones."
Regardless of the Party in Power, Finland's Dream of an Equitable Education System has Never Changed
The success of the Finnish education system has had much to do with the dream that the Finns first had in the 1960s, and regardless of the political inclinations of the party in power, that dream has never changed.
Sahlberg said, "In the past five decades, our citizens have been fortunate in the provision of a continuous development of the education system. This has remained in place in spite of changes in government - unlike other countries where a change in the President or dominant political party often signals a revamp of the education system. Our dream was established 50 years ago, and it remains a common goal for all citizens of Finland.
"We have no private schools, only autonomous ones, but those are still funded by public money.
"We feel that what is most important is that our dream must be legitimate. Our dream urges people to action, yet is clear at the same time. It is a pity not many countries are able to achieve this."
10 Times As Many Schools
Over the past four decades, Finland has managed to close the gap between its top and bottom-achieving students. Finnish students do well regardless of family background or socioeconomic status, and the variation between schools is also the smallest amongst OECD countries.
In a country with a population of 5.4 million, comprehensive schools, which cater to the first nine years of formal schooling - the equivalent of our primary and secondary levels combined -number more than 3,500, which is almost ten times as many as there are in Singapore.
Of these 3,500 schools over half have an enrolment of fewer than 300 students. The smallest and largest enrolment of the schools is 10 and 1,000 respectively. Apart from geographical location the size of a school is dependent on the ability of the teachers to know each student by name. Small schools, close relationships and the focus on each student's progress have become salient features of the Finnish education system.
And in order to actualise the vision of providing each child with the best education, the Finnish Ministry of Education is committed to hiring and training dedicated teachers with strong professional ethics to ensure that students are taught well and groomed for the nation.
No Appraisal for Teachers
"Both Finland and Singapore attach great importance to the training of teachers. We understand that unless our schools have good teachers, unless we continue to train our teachers, and unless society respects the work that teachers do, educational reforms will not work. A lot of countries tackle education reforms from the administrative angle, and some even consult business models for use in schools, treating schools like corporations and adopting a reward and punishment system, for example.
But these methods are not right," said Sahlberg.
Finland places stringent academic requirements on its teaching profession. For example, all teachers - from pre-school to higher education - need at least a Master's qualification. They are also required to sit a dedicated examination before they are even able to apply to become teachers. Those who are accepted possess many skills and exhibit a strong sense of vocation, and are among the very best of the cohort.
In addition, teachers are given a lot of autonomy over the curriculum and assessment. They decide what to teach, how to teach and when to teach. This level of autonomy exists because the government trusts its teachers implicitly. At the same time, as has been said, society at large respects the teaching profession, and teaching enjoys a high social status within the community. There is therefore little need for Finland to worry about any shortage in the continuing supply of high quality, dedicated entrants to the profession.
The teaching hours of Finnish teachers are among the lowest in the OECD countries. In lower secondary schools, for example, teachers teach for only 600 hours a year - 800 lessons of 45 minutes each, or four lessons per day. However, this does not mean that Finnish teachers have a light workload. On the contrary, much of their time is spent developing ideas about what to teach, how to teach, and how to gauge the abilities of their students.
Since the Finnish education system advocates fair and equal education for all, each classroom consists of students with varying academic abilities. The greatest challenge for Finnish teachers, therefore, is the assessing and screening of students with differing abilities in order to teach them at a pace that is commensurate with their needs. This challenging professional skill is taught during the teacher preparation programmes in universities and is considered absolutely key to their subsequent ability to groom the qualities that are necessary for the next generation of talent in the country's knowledge-based economy - innovation, creativity, flexibility, pro-activeness, and adventurousness.
The main features of the Finnish education system - absence of competition, examinations and ranking - apply to teachers as well. Schools do not appraise their teachers, nor are there inspectorates.
"An official from the Finnish Ministry of Education will say, 'All our teachers are equally good!' In fact, he or she may go on to ask, 'What is the rationale behind the appraising of teachers?' These officials feel that if society does not have the most basic form of trust in its teachers, then its education will be in vain," said Sahlberg.
For a country which never set out to be the best but which now finds itself in the limelight for topping international student assessments, Sahlberg has this to say, "This was definitely not our goal when we went about our educational reforms. We allow our students to learn in a relaxed environment so they may develop happily and have space for innovation and new ideas. We want to be the nation with the most creativity. We don't want to rely on the grades of academic subjects to be number one. We want to do that with our creativity."
Education Expenditure
Finland's annual budget for education is not considered high among OECD countries. Even though the system has attracted the most outstanding individuals to become teachers, salaries are only average for a developed economy. Schools are, as we have learned, generally on the small side, and even principals teach classes. Therefore, administrative costs are kept low. Most of the expenditure is therefore channelled into the classrooms and the training of teachers to improve their effectiveness, which is, as Dr Ng Eng Hen announced, increasingly what Singapore does as well.
Lessons for Singapore
Ever since the MOE announced the scrapping of secondary school rankings with immediate effect, there has been a general clamouring for the abolition of the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) as well. I personally find this cacophony of voices alarming.
As someone with over two decades of media experience specialising in education I am very concerned. We are a small nation. We do not have the luxury of taking things easy. If we don't fight, we won't survive. Neither can we afford to get things wrong. Fortunately, Minister for Education Heng Swee Keat has said, "Our education system is quite interlinked, with many different components. You cannot change one part without changing the others. Let us not rush into this. Let us look at the pros and cons of the different options, and then we can make a decision later."
When the MOE is already working towards making "every school a good school", investing billions of dollars in the training of teachers, deliberating over the nature and use of national examinations and looking carefully to see what it can adopt from model systems like Finland's, shouldn't we be confident that we are going in the right direction? And therefore when it comes to scrapping the PSLE shouldn't we be asking, "Are we really ready to do this?" Translated by: Lee Xiao Wen
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芬兰国会自1963年决定以发展公立教育来作为国家经济复苏的灵丹妙药，这个"让芬兰每个孩子接受九年公平和平等的公立学校教育"的决定，成了全体芬兰人的梦。过去50年，芬兰政府即便政党轮替，没有人敢去动摇它。
在一个没有比较，没有竞争，没有考试的环境里，学生缺乏了推动力，怎么办？
