Education systems in the world. Where to get the best education in the world? What else can Finns like at school

As Nelson Mandela said, "Education is the most powerful weapon for changing the world." Every country on Earth has its own education system, but not all of them are equally effective and capable of bringing up the necessary skills and abilities in children. As a rule, such lists are dominated by countries with a high standard of living. The statistics on the gap in education quality between developing and developed countries are far from encouraging. According to the data, the gap between the developed and the developing world is about 100 years. The best of the best maintain the teacher-to-student ratio, keep children in school longer and graduate the largest number of students with a quality education. Who are these leading countries? Keep reading for a list of the top 10 education systems.

Australia

"Education for All". At the top of the United Nations Human Development Rankings, a country with a population of 24 million educates schoolchildren up to the age of 20 (the United States, by comparison, under 16). 94% of citizens over 25 have secondary education. The student-to-teacher ratio is approximately 14: 1, with Australia providing excellent support for its educators. The country encourages teachers to go to the countryside and strives to ensure equal pay for teachers at all levels.

Japan

Thanks to the intense focus on teaching children from the age of 6, Japanese students have a deep knowledge of science. Japan is ranked second in the annual global education report, fourth in reading and seventh in math in the influential International Student Assessment Program. The program tests 15-year-old students around the world to compare countries' education systems. According to these estimates, the Pacific island nation takes education seriously. The literacy rate of Japan's 127 million citizens is 99 percent.

South Korea

Standardized tests confirm the highest quality of the education system in South Korea. Students in the 49 million republic attend both private and public high schools and lead many academic grades. Long-term study of subjects has helped students achieve such high results, because South Korean parents spend significant amounts on extracurricular education for their children.

Education in Finland

Who knew that taking multiple breaks could dramatically improve student performance? Finns. Children from this northern European country between the ages of 7 and 15 have 15-minute free play breaks during every hour of their five-hour school day. And while grades are not given until the fourth grade (and schools do not require any standardized tests until the fourth year), their students' success is undeniable. Consistently high scores in international tests confirm this. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the gap between the weakest and strongest students in Finland is the smallest in the world.

Norway

Norway has the highest development scores according to the UN, as makes education for 5.1 million inhabitants a top priority. The Scandinavian country spends 6.6% of their GDP on education, and maintains a teacher-to-student ratio of 9: 1. Relying on the national curriculum, teachers introduce students to arts and crafts, healthy lifestyles, music and exercise. And their system definitely works. One hundred percent of the school-age population in Norway is enrolled in school, and 97 percent of residents have secondary education.

Singapore

Described as “exam-oriented,” the education system in this island city-state of Southeast Asia of 5.7 million seeks to teach children how to solve problems. At the same time, students do an excellent job with tests and take first places in all sciences. Teachers in Singapore are also involved in professional development throughout their careers.

Netherlands

Even if you don't know Dutch, there will be no problem studying in the Netherlands. The country with 17 million inhabitants ranks highly in all ratings of quality education. It provides instruction in a variety of languages besides Dutch for students in grades 1-4 to help them learn the language as quickly as possible. 94% of residents have secondary education, while providing additional funding for poorer students and ethnic minorities. According to UNESCO, primary schools with the highest proportion of such pupils, on average, have about 58 percent more teachers and technical staff.

Germany

Ireland

It is far from simple luck that has led to Ireland's high ratings in the UN Education Index. The country of 4.7 million inhabitants invests heavily in education of its citizens, spending 6.2 percent of GDP (double that of Singapore). This prioritization has helped Ireland build one of the best education systems in the world.

England

99.9 percent of Britons aged 25 and over have secondary education. England is currently strategizing to accommodate an additional 750,000 students, which the Education Department estimates will add to schools by 2025. The country occupies a leading position in the ranking of education systems, which is confirmed by various types of student testing.

Primary school students in Northern Ireland scored sixth in the world and the best in Europe. England's results have not improved since the trials four years ago.

These international rankings - Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) - are published every four years. They are based on test results of over 600,000 students from 57 countries, aged 9-10 and 13-14.

1. Singapore

2. South Korea

3. Taiwan

4. Hong Kong

7.Kazakhstan

9. Ireland

11. England

England scores above average and better than many European countries, but there has been no significant progress in the ranking despite reforms in the school system.

In the latest TIMSS International Primary School Mathematics Test, England dropped one rank, moving from 9th to 10th place. Secondary school performance also worsened. England finished 11th instead of 10th.

When these same tests were conducted in 2007, England was sixth in mathematics. Now this place is occupied by Northern Ireland.

In the natural sciences, primary school students in England remain in 15th place, while middle school students climbed from 10th to 8th place.

1. Singapore

2. Hong Kong

3. South Korea

4. Taiwan

6. Northern Ireland

8. Norway

9. Ireland

10. England

England's Secretary of Schools, Nick Gibb, noted that the results shown by English students were more "interesting and confident" than many international competitors.

“A new, more demanding math curriculum for junior high school students has been in use since September 2014. We expect future TIMSS testing to reflect progress, ”said Mr Gibb.

Meanwhile, Labor's Angela Reiner said the results were achieved despite "a constant re-forging and re-shipment of exams, school structures and curricula."

Russell Hobby, leader of the National Association of Senior Teachers, notes that a shortage of qualified teachers in mathematics and science has prevented England from staying in the "top tier" of international education.

Northern Ireland has shown itself very confidently in the math test among primary school students. The country has retained the same position as four years ago and is the first in the group following the leaders of the rating - the countries of Asia.

This puts the youth of Northern Ireland ahead of schoolchildren from countries such as Finland and Norway, which tend to have high academic performance. Scotland and Wales did not participate in these trials.

The results of tests carried out in 2015 highlighted a group of countries showing high achievements. They have increased their lead over previous tests. All of these states are located in Asia.

Despite Singapore's international success in testing, there were concerns about young people being put under too much pressure.

Singapore's Ministry of Education said education is about more than just getting high marks.

Top 10 High School Student Test Results in Mathematics:

1. Singapore

3. Taiwan

4. South Korea

5. Slovenia

6. Hong Kong

9.Kazakhstan

10. Ireland

Finland, whose educational model is often used to improve school systems in other countries, has deteriorated its position in these rankings.

The tests are administered by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement in the Netherlands and Boston College USA.

TIMSS Testing Executive Ina Mallis said the overall results brought "a lot of good news" about schools: the participants' scores improved, and more children than before said the school was a safe environment for them.

Professor Mallis noted that the success of the Asian countries reflects the "consistency" of their approach and the "culture of immersion in education."

“The rest of the world ignored their work and fell further behind countries like Singapore and South Korea,” she said.

Top 10 results of testing primary school students in mathematics:

1. Singapore

2. South Korea

5. Hong Kong

6. Taiwan

7. Finland

8.Kazakhstan

The most important overall success factor is the quality and accessibility of training, said TIMSS Director Michael Martin.

And the achievement of Singapore, I think, could not have become a reality if education in this country were not a priority.

“Education is of paramount importance in these countries,” said another testing project leader, Dr. Dirk Hastedt.

It is also worth noting the successes of Russian schoolchildren. In all four ratings, the country is approximately in the middle of the top ten.

Moscow, August 31 - "Vesti.Ekonomika". Almost everyone wants to get a good education. Parents strive to find the best school for their children, someone chooses good teachers. And someone is doing quite radically - changing the country of residence in order to gain access to a good education.

Traditionally, Asian and Scandinavian countries are considered to be the best in terms of education.

Below we will tell you about the countries in which education is considered the best in the world, including because significant funds are allocated for education from the country's budget.

1. South Korea

Japan and South Korea are the main competitors for the first place in the ranking of the countries with the best education.

However, so far South Korea is overtaking Japan, despite the fact that Japan is investing heavily in education.

Students in South Korea go to school seven days a week.

For 2018, a budget of 429 trillion won (US $ 382.6 billion) was proposed for education, up 7.1% from the 400.5 trillion won that went to education in 2017.

The literacy rate in the country is 97.9%, of which 99.2% are men, 96.6% are women.

GDP per capita (purchasing power parity) - $ 35,938.37 in 2018

2. Japan

This country is the center of technology development, and it is here that young people receive one of the best types of education in the world, since education in the country provides not only in-depth knowledge, but also experience in their application in practice. GDP per capita (purchasing power parity) - $ 39,002.22 in 2017

According to the Prime Minister of the country Shinzo Abe, Japan will allocate almost 4 trillion yen ($ 35.6 billion) for education in 2018.

3. Singapore

This country is famous for its strong primary education, in this regard, and occupies the third place in the ranking of countries with the best education in the world.

Singapore's 2017 education budget is estimated at S $ 12.7 billion.

GDP per capita (purchasing power parity) - $ 85535.38 in 2017

4. Hong Kong

The school system in Hong Kong is very similar to British education.

Primary, secondary and tertiary education has high ratings internationally.

Teaching is conducted in Chinese and English.

The literacy rate in the country is 94.6%.

GDP per capita (purchasing power parity) - $ 56,054.92 in 2017

The educational budget for the 2017-2018 fiscal year was HK $ 88,507 million.

5. Finland

Finland is a country whose education is traditionally considered one of the best, but it loses to its Asian competitors.

The annual educational budget was EUR 13,063 million in 2016.

GDP per capita (purchasing power parity) - $ 40,585.72 in 2017

6.UK

Education in the UK is not easy to assess, as the local government plays an important role in education issues in each region.

The authorities in Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland assess the state of education individually, and in addition, they manage education more based on regional interests, rather than being guided by uniform legislation for the entire kingdom.

However, experts rate education in the UK as one of the best in Europe, and the country ranks sixth in the world.

GDP per capita (purchasing power parity) - $ 39,753.24 in 2017

The annual education budget was £ 84.9 billion in 2017.

7. Canada

Teaching is in English and French. The literacy rate in the country is very high - 99% (among both men and women).

GDP per capita (purchasing power parity) - $ 44,017.59 in 2017

8. Netherlands

The Netherlands has one of the best education systems in Europe, but experts note a number of shortcomings, in particular, insufficient investment and poor management of higher education.

GDP per capita (purchasing power parity) - $ 48,472.54 in 2017

9. Ireland

The literacy rate in the country is 99% for both men and women.

Education in the country is free for both elementary and high school levels.

However, students from the European Union have to pay for education at Irish universities.

The Irish government allocates € 8.759 billion annually to education.

10. Poland

The Polish Ministry of Education deals with all education issues.

Poland has one of the best education systems in Europe, and in the world, the country closes the top ten.

In 2017, PLN 16 billion was allocated only to the development of higher education in the country.

GDP per capita (purchasing power parity) - $ 27,216.44

11. Denmark

The Danish education system includes primary, secondary, higher education, as well as professional retraining and retraining.

Children under 16 receive compulsory education. Further is not obligatory, however 82% of school graduates strive to get it.

GDP per capita (purchasing power parity) - $ 46,682.51 in 2017

12. Germany

Germany strives to build one of the best education systems in the world. Education issues are dealt with at the local level.

Kindergartens are optional, but schooling is compulsory for all children.

In addition, German universities are ranked among the best in the world and regularly rank high in international rankings.

GDP per capita (purchasing power parity) - $ 45,229.25 in 2017

13. Russia

Experts note that Russia has many opportunities to improve its performance in the ranking, as education in the country faces a number of problems.

Nevertheless, the literacy rate is very high - almost 100%, this is one of the highest rates in the world.

The education budget in 2018 amounted to 663 billion rubles.

The Education Index is a combined indicator of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), calculated as an adult literacy index and an index of the cumulative proportion of students enrolled in education.

The Education Index is a composite indicator of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). One of the key indicators of social development. Used to calculate the Human Development Index for the UN Special Report Series on Human Development.

The index measures a country's achievements in terms of the educational attainment of its population in two main indicators:

Adult literacy index (2/3 weight).
Index of the cumulative share of students in primary, secondary and tertiary education (1/3 weight).

These two dimensions of educational attainment are brought together in the final Index, which is standardized as numerical values from 0 (minimum) to 1 (maximum). It is generally accepted that developed countries should have a minimum score of 0.8, although the vast majority have a score of 0.9 or higher. When determining the place in the world ranking, all countries are ranked based on the Index of Education Level (see table below by country), and the first place in the ranking corresponds to the highest value of this indicator, and the last to the lowest.

Literacy data are obtained from the official results of national censuses and are compared with indicators calculated by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. For developed countries, which no longer include the question of literacy in the population census questionnaires, the literacy rate is assumed to be 99%. Data on the number of citizens enrolled in educational institutions are aggregated by the Institute of Statistics based on information provided by the relevant government agencies around the world.

This indicator, although it is quite universal, has a number of limitations. In particular, it does not reflect the quality of education itself. Also, it does not fully show the difference in the accessibility of education due to differences in age requirements and in the duration of study. Indicators such as average length of schooling or expected length of schooling would be more representative, but data are not available for most countries. In addition, the indicator does not take into account students studying abroad, which may distort the data for some small countries.

The index is updated every two to three years, while reports with UN data, as a rule, are delayed by two years, as they require international comparison after the publication of data by national statistical offices.

Education is one of the most important components of our world, because without proper education, our new generation will not have a future, because without it they simply cannot survive in this complex world. Surprisingly, it would seem that the importance of this is obvious, but in different countries the education systems are not identical. There are countries in which education is a priority sphere of life, and there are those where they do not pay attention to it at all.

A good education is the best investment in the world, it comes back to the owners very slowly, but when the time comes, it, in fact, will not only pay off, but also make a profit. A good education system does not mean tough discipline, the main quality is here. All developed countries can boast of quality education, which is the key to their success. The rest of the countries are still working in this direction, but in some of them it is impossible not to notice the success in the educational sphere.

TOP-10 countries, whose education systems are recognized as the best in the world

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Poland

It is the first country in the world to have its own Ministry of Education, which still operates in the best and most appropriate manner. This is reflected in many educational successes, but the country has received the highest awards in mathematics and other fundamental sciences more than once. Poland has a high literacy rate.

Polish higher education is recognized in many countries for its consistently high quality of education. This country is also the best choice for international students. The history of education in Poland dates back to the 12th century. 70% of students in this country are taught in English.

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The education system in Ireland is considered one of the best, since education in this country is completely free. Note, free at all levels, including college and college. Therefore, Ireland's success in this area is recognized all over the world, and it takes its place of honor on our list. The emphasis in education has now shifted towards learning and teaching in the Irish language.

In this country, education is compulsory for all children, all educational institutions, including even private ones, are fully funded by the government in order to provide free and high-quality education at all levels to all residents of the country. This is why in Ireland about 89% of the population has compulsory schooling.

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The population of this country is the most literary educated in the world, which reflects the quality of education in this region. And this is another country with free education at all levels, but some private schools still require payment.

A feature of the education system here is that up to the age of sixteen, students are required to devote a full day to learning. Further, adolescents have the right to choose - whether they want to study full or part-time, to enter further or not to higher education. Educational institutions in the Netherlands are divided into religious and public.

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Canada is known for the fact that, due to the high quality of education, many students from different countries prefer this particular country for higher education.

The rules of the education system differ from province to province, but one thing that is common to the entire country is that the government of this country places great emphasis on the quality and standards of education, which is why Canada has a much higher percentage of schooling. But there are significantly fewer people willing to study in higher educational institutions than in previous countries. Education is mainly funded by the government of each individual province.

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United Kingdom

This is a country that is well known throughout the world for its quality of education, not only at the school level, but also at the level of higher education. Oxford University is the number one university in the world. Great Britain is also known as a pioneer in the field of education, because the history of educational institutions and the formation of the education system as a whole have passed here for a very long period.

But, surprisingly, the UK does not pay much attention to the quality of education at primary and secondary levels, although tertiary education scores excellent in all respects. Therefore, this country is in sixth place on our list. It is worth noting that the UK education system ranks second in Europe.

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This country is known for providing maximum freedom to schoolchildren and students. Education here is completely free, meals are also paid by the school administration if the student is present at the school full time. Despite this, great attention is paid to attracting students to higher education institutions.

Therefore, this country is also known as the leader in the number of people who complete any form of education consistently. A fairly large budget for education is allocated here. It is equal to € 11.1 billion, which allows the country to have quality education from primary to higher level. Finland has almost 100 percent literacy, which also indicates a high level of the educational system.

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This country was included in our list due to the fact that according to research, the population of Hong Kong has the highest IQ level on the planet. In terms of the level of education and literacy of people, this country surpasses many other countries. The great advances in technology have also come from an excellent education system. So this country, which is also called the business center of the world, is well suited for higher education. However, they want to achieve high standards for development in all areas of education. 9-year school education is compulsory for everyone.

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Singapore

Singapore is another leader in the average IQ of its population. Here, special attention is paid to both the volume and quality of education, and to the schoolchildren and students themselves, who study and receive certificates. Singapore is not only one of the richest countries, but also one of the most educated. And it is education that plays a key role in the country's success.

It is indicative that the country spares no money on the quality of education. Every year, $ 12.1 billion is invested in this area, so the literacy rate here is over 96%.

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South Korea

You will be very surprised by the fact that even ten years ago, few people in the world spoke about the education system of this country. But South Korea is developing rapidly, and already last year it ranked first in a similar list. The country is leading in the number of people with higher education. And this is not only because learning is popular.

Education is the basic life principle of the population. This country is far ahead of the rest of the world in terms of technology development, which has been achieved thanks to the education system and government reforms. The annual budget for education in this country is $ 11.3 billion, so the literacy rate here is 99.9%.

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The most famous country in the world for the level of its technology ranks first on this list thanks to its reforms of the educational system. They managed to completely change the education model and create an effective control system in this area. After the complete collapse of the economy of this country, education became the only source of development for Japan. This country has a very long history of education, the traditions of which are preserved to this day. The literacy rate of the population is also 99.9%, although only primary education is compulsory.

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Conclusion

This article was about the countries with the best education systems in the world.