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 neither hungry nor homeless, and wealthy citizens often drive 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 to increase the level of knowledge and professional skills of the population. At the end of the 1990s, when the country joined the European Union, education expenditures accounted for 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 indicator was 5.3 % In the state budget, 14% is allocated to education.
The level of education of the Finns is quite high. The Finnish authorities pay sufficient attention to education. Today in this Scandinavian country there are almost 4,000 educational institutions where about 2,000,000 students study. According to international experts, the level of education of schoolchildren and students has reached good indicators. Studies have once again confirmed that the country of Suomi "ahead of the rest."
Compulsory education
Compulsory schooling is organized by the municipalities (there are about 450 of them in our western neighbor). Local authorities are obliged to ensure that all children from 7 to 16 years of age living in its territory receive compulsory education. Children study at school for free. School textbooks are also free of charge.
Truly children begin to study at the age of 7. Compulsory English learning begins in Grade 3, and Swedish in Grade 7. Studying in high school lasts 9-10 years. Both children - citizens of Finland and children - citizens of other states are required to obtain the amount of knowledge provided for in the comprehensive school curriculum. However, this knowledge can be obtained both by attending school and by studying in other ways (for example, home schooling). This means that in Finland there is no compulsory “school service”.
Suomi is a cultural center
Over the past 20 years, the acquisition of knowledge by older people from the Finns has become the dominant component of educational policy. People aged are not inferior in education to the 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 will continue to grow. According to international data, Finnish citizens actively attend various courses at educational institutions (including universities).
Teaching at universities is carried out in Finnish, Swedish, English. Among the higher educational institutions of Finland there are both multidisciplinary universities and highly specialized educational 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 just in secondary schools. Preschool education is the education and upbringing of children during the year preceding the first year of education (first grade of school). The formation of six-year-olds provides for the consolidation of motivation in children for the assimilation of educational subjects. Preschool education in Finland is free, but not compulsory.