Education for the new era is based on a variety of principles, which include offering a variety and choice of educational options to families in Qatar as well as a deep respect for local values and traditions.
The result is a growing collection of exceptional schools from around the world establishing branches in Qatar, to serve both Qatari and expatriate students.
Qatar’s Outstanding Schools are selected from top schools throughout the world that teach accredited international or national curricula. Students from these schools are routinely admitted into the world’s most prestigious universities. In addition to implementing the curriculum model from their home campus, all Outstanding Schools in Qatar teach Arabic, Islamic Studies and Qatari Social Studies.
The school in the top list was Qatar-Finland International School. This school provides world-class education, based on Finnish education practices. Q.F.I. School is a primary school for girls and boys starting with grades 0, 1 and 2 for children aged 5-7. Teachers responsible for the Finnish curriculum are from Finland, all holding Master’s Degrees in education. The main language of instruction is English and language support will be provided for non-native English speakers especially in the early years.
All students study the Arabic language and the goal is to educate functionally bilingual students. The school provides children with a solid foundation for lifelong learning, promoting holistic well-being and social confidence.
The 10 specialties of Finnish Education System:
1. No standardized testing:
Finland has no standardized tests. Their only exception is something called the National Matriculation Exam, which is a voluntary test for students at the end of an upper-secondary school (equivalent to an American high school.)
2. Accountability for teachers (not required):
All teachers are required to have a master’s degree before entering the profession. Teaching programs are the most rigorous and selective professional schools in the entire country. If a teacher isn’t performing well, it’s the individual principal’s responsibility to do something about it.
3. Cooperation not competition:
Finland’s educational system doesn’t worry about artificial or arbitrary merit-based systems. There are no lists of top-performing schools or teachers. It’s not an environment of competition – instead, cooperation is the norm.
4. Make the basics a priority:
The program that Finland put together focused on returning back to the basics. It wasn’t about dominating with excellent marks or upping the ante. Instead, they looked to make the school environment a more equitable place.
5. Starting school at an older age:
Students start school when they are seven years old. It’s simply just a way to let a kid be a kid. There are only 9 years of compulsory school that Finnish children are required to attend. Everything past the ninth grade or at the age of 16 is optional.
6. Providing professional options past a traditional college degree:
In Finland, there is the Upper Secondary School which is a three-year program that prepares students for the Matriculation Test that determines their acceptance into a University. This is usually based off of specialties they’ve acquired during their time in “high-school” Next, there is vocational education, which is a three-year program that trains students for various careers.
7. Finns wake up later for less strenuous schooldays:
Finnish schools start the day at 9:00-9:45 AM and usually end by 2:00 – 2:45 PM. They have longer class periods and much longer breaks in between. The overall system isn’t there to ram and cram information to their students, but to create an environment of holistic learning.
8. Consistent instruction from the same teachers:
Students in Finland often have the same teacher for up to six years of their education. During this time, the teacher can take on the role of a mentor or even a family member.
9. A more relaxed atmosphere:
Less stress, less unneeded regimentation and more caring. Students usually only have a couple of classes a day. They have several times to eat their food, enjoy recreational activities and generally just relax.
10. Less homework and outside work required:
Finnish students are getting everything they need to get done in school without the added pressures that come with excelling at a subject. Without having to worry about grades and busy-work they are able to focus on the true task at hand – learning and growing as a human being.
What are your thoughts on the Finnish education system? Do you believe it should be implemented worldwide? Let us know in the comments!
