What Type of Education System is the Most Effective?

Education is thought to be extremely important in many cultures as it plays a major role in our development of knowledge and perspective. However, despite the acknowledgement of the importance of education, there is wide variance in what elements people think make education effective, so this article will primarily focus on the extremes of education by examining 2 countries: South Korea and Finland. There are many rankings of educational systems on the internet, however Finland and South Korea consistently come out on top despite their intrinsically different approaches to education. While Finland values a relaxed learning environment and the cultivation of identity, South Korea is centred around academic rigor. So which approach produces the best results?

While some may believe that stress is inevitable when it comes to learning, Finland’s system has proven to be effective nevertheless as its students consistently perform highly on the PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) year.

One of the unique attributes of Finnish education is that it does not require students to take standardised tests, with the exception of the National Matriculation Exam taken for university entrance. A fundamental flaw of standardised testing is that it encourages students to cram, and teachers to adapt their teaching for the sole aim of getting students to pass the test. Once the test is over, students will likely forget what they have ‘learned’. This problem is overcome by Finland’s integrative approach to education wherein students are assessed primarily through continued projects that encourage interdisciplinary learning. Finland’s system of assessing each student on individual standards and the teacher’s grading system also gives students the opportunity for more meaningful learning as they do not have to achieve a blanket baseline, but rather to a more reasonable target based on their individual abilities. Without much worry on grades or extra work outside of school, students can focus on learning.

Overall, Finland’s education system cultivates a relaxed atmosphere, choosing not to burden students with an overload of homework or pressuring them outside school. In fact, daily life of a finnish student is evidence of the far less strenuous lifestyle that students from other countries are accustomed to. School tends to start much later as it is believed that earlier start times can be detrimental to adolescents' health, with school hours typically from 9AM to 2PM. After classes, students are encouraged to pursue their own interests by taking up various extracurricular activities as well as carrying out community service as it is believed that important learning takes place outside the classroom. Moreover, unlike student rankings or traditional merit-based systems, Finland’s schools set up an environment of cooperation as opposed to creating competition between students or schools when it comes to test scores and grades.

On the opposite end of the educational spectrum, South Korea’s students apply hard work and intense studying to reap the most out of their education; according to the World Top 20 Project, South Korea had ranked for four consecutive years from 2013-2017 as the top education system in the world.

Like Finland, South Korea highly values education, although it cultivates a completely different culture when it comes to maximizing the potential of its students. The whole of South Korea’s education revolves around preparing students for the university entrance exam at the end of high school - the suneung. This gruelling eight hour exam is life determining for students as it will dictate the university they go to, their job prospects and even their future socioeconomic status. In fact, exams are taken so seriously to the extent that shops close during exam hour and flights are rerouted or grounded to ensure there are no disturbances. Given that there are only three universities regarded to be top tier by employers, the competition is brutally fierce among the 600,000 students taking the exam nationwide. As a result, students endure years of hardcore studying with the mindset that if they work hard during high school, the suffering would be worth it when they live out their bright future. However, considering a nation that places academics on a pedestal, it should come as no surprise that the inescapable burden of studying shadows students well past high school with the expectation of formal testing when applying for jobs, licenses and promotions.

South Korea’s culture merits diligence over innate intelligence - it is believed that with enough effort, anything is achievable so there should be no excuses for failure. While schools seem to have normal hours from 8AM to 4:30PM, this only represents a part of the daily routine majority of students endure. It is commonplace for high school students to have their backs bent over a desk for an additional 7-8 hours after school, attending tutoring sessions or extra evening private schools which drill students endlessly. While the pressure and stress on students may seem excessive, this is an inevitable tradeoff of an education system that is purposed to prepare students for life by teaching them resilience, discipline and hard work.

Although South Korea’s extreme education is applaudable in academic attainment, it expectedly has concerning flaws with regards to student wellbeing. It is not hard to imagine that intense 16 hours of studying daily comes with the price of high unhapiness and depression rates; according to World Health Statistics, South Korea has the world’s highest suicide rate among 11-16 years olds, most cases relating to stress in school. In addition to psychological damage, studying also has its physics toll on students. On average, students typically get 5.5 hours of sleep a day to ensure they have sufficient time for studying. Most students only return home at 10PM to 12AM after attending private institutes and cram schools, leaving little time for extracurriculars, family or leisure. In addition to the expectations students place on themselves, family pressure is another part of the equation which can create unnecessary stress. Knowing that the acceptance rates of the top universities can go as low as 5%, parents push their children to attain the best grades which sacrifices their enjoyment of youth.

Overall, both rigorous and relaxed education systems have their merits and imperfections. As seen from Finland’s relaxed education system, although fostering identity, encouraging students to seek out their own interests, and nurturing a community based off cooperation is beneficial for the growth of students, the significantly fewer hours of learning may suggest that some depth and breadth of knowledge may be being sacrificed as well as the issue of adaptability from play to working life. Conversely, South Korea’s extreme education exemplifies excellence in teaching the lesson of hard work and responsibility, however it fails to account for the high levels of stress, the lack of opportunities for creativity and curiosity in the curriculum as well as the fact that at the end of the day, life is more than a multiple choice test.