What do we know about our western neighbor? Suomi (this is Finland) is the easternmost state of the Scandinavian Peninsula. In Finnish, the state is called Suomi, in Swedish - Finland.
The history of Finland did not know serfdom. This is probably why a progressive taxation scale has taken root here: the higher the earnings, the higher the tax rate. Hence the so-called Finnish model of socialism, according to which there are no hungry or homeless people, and we althy citizens often drive around in the same cars as the poor.
High level of education
Finland (Suomi) is a small country, but the primary task of the government is to achieve high levels of education and increase the level of knowledge and professional skills of the population. At the end of the 1990s, when the country joined the European Union, spending on education amounted to 6.2% of GDP (gross domestic product is the most important indicator of the economy), while for OECD countries (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) this figure was 5.3 %. The state budget allocates 14% to education.
The level of education of the Finns is quite high. The Finnish authorities pay sufficient attention to education. Today, there are almost 4,000 educational institutions in this Scandinavian country, where about 2,000,000 students study. According to international experts, the level of education of schoolchildren and students has achieved good results. Studies have once again confirmed that the country of Suomi is “ahead of the rest.”
Compulsory education
Compulsory schooling is organized by municipalities (our western neighbor has about 450 of them). Local authorities are obliged to ensure that all children from 7 to 16 years old living in the territory under their jurisdiction receive compulsory education. Children go to school for free. There is also no need to pay for textbooks issued in schools.
Children really start learning at the age of 7. From the 3rd grade, the compulsory study of English begins, and from the 7th grade - Swedish. Studying in secondary school lasts 9-10 years. Both children - citizens of Finland, and children - citizens of other states are obliged to receive the amount of knowledge provided for by the program of a general education school. However, this knowledge can be obtained both by attending school and by learning in other ways (for example, home schooling). This means that there is no compulsory “school service” in Finland.
Suomi is a cultural center
Over the past 20 years, the acquisition of knowledge by older people from Finns has become a dominant component of education policy. Older people are in no way inferior in education to younger groups. Suomi(Finland), like other Scandinavian countries, is aging (in terms of demographics). In this regard, the need for advanced training of adult groups of the population will continue to grow. According to international data, Finnish citizens actively attend various courses at educational institutions (including universities).
Teaching in universities is carried out in Finnish, Swedish, English. Finland's higher education institutions include both multidisciplinary universities and highly specialized institutions.
Preschool education
Unlike others, Suomi is a country where there are no specialized educational institutions, and children begin to be taught in kindergartens and simply in secondary schools. Pre-school education is the education and upbringing of children during the year preceding the first year of education (the first grade of school). The education of six-year-olds provides for the consolidation of motivation in children to master school subjects. Preschool education in Finland is free but not compulsory.
