Education
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Updated on Mar 22, 2013
Hello Friends, This is the first time I am writing on Parentune.. missed out a lot of action. I came across this article on the Finnish education System and my first thought was this needs to be shared across all forums. We in India will certainly identify with the American Model of extreme competition. Therefore, this Finnish Model which is diametrically opposite to our Models, is certainly the way forward. As parents, it is our duty to pitch in and make things better for our kids and the coming generations. Do post your comments / views so that we can take this further. Also, if any of you do know any such schools, please post details. Parentune is a good forum and with other such parenting groups, we could hope to change the Education Scene in our country. Here is the link - http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/12/what-americans-keep-ignoring-about-finlands-school-success/250564/ Cheers !! jyothi
| Mar 22, 2013
Hi Jyothi. The article is an interesting one. Finland is a socialist country and the govt strives to provide equality in all aspects, be it education, health care (free health insurance), employment (unemployment benefits) etc. I came to know a little about how the country functions through one of my friends who lives there. The education system in India is a fiercely competitive one and the little children are burdened with a lot as compared to their Finnish counterparts. However, I feel, many schools in India are trying to adopt a lighter approach to education- focussing on an overall development of the child rather than only the academic aspect. The downside is, the tuition fees charged by such schools are very high. To change to a system as that of the Finnish, it will take our country a whole lot of effort and a change in mind set of the people.
| Mar 22, 2013
yes.. that's what i meant... the important msg i got from reading that article was not so much about less burden for the kids.. but creative thinking.. problem solving capacity which the system instills in the kids right from tender age, besides working in a team, as one unit / community...
| Mar 22, 2013
Hey Jyothi, thanks for sharing this, inspiring indeed. the thing is , as Anurima said, our children are lucky enough to have schools now taht offer experiential, wholesome learning. Infact in my child's school, every time it is time for assessment, we are sent a note saying we shoudl avoid pressurising the child and not promote rote learning. the problem is that these schools are still limited and charge exorbitant fees. So only a small section of children get to experience this new fresh breeze of education. Hopefully, in time, more schools will adopt a more liberal and innovative education system, specially our govt. run schools..
| Mar 25, 2013
Dear Neetu, Arunima, pls do spread the word amongst your circle / co-parents... also i dont think it is about the cost.. that's problem in india.. anything which looks new is charged exhorbitantly.. these finnish schools promote sense of community... their approach is to tackle issues as a team and while the emphasis is certainly on learning and excelling.. it is never on competition (so predominant in our system).. which drains out energy and application of mind.. look at our college admissions.. last session delhi university cut off was 100%.. how can we have such ridiculous standards.. and inspite of all the hardwork and intellect.. india leads in corruption, nepotism and inefficiency... we must stop this right now.. and this can be done collectively ONLY.. that's why we must make use of forums such as parentune to garner support... thanks.. sorry for the length..
