It is one of the fundamental pillars for the construction of an educated society, with the sufficient capacity to make responsible decisions, to question the world and seek ways to improve it. It’s simple: without education there is nothing. That is why it is so important to know how countries understand this concept. Although it is relative, analyzing the educational systems of the world can help each region to establish the strengths and weaknesses of its society.
The best-known classification when it comes to measuring educational quality throughout the world is the International Program for Student Assessment or PISA Report (Programme for International Student Assessment). It is a study developed by the OECD worldwide, in which the academic performance of students in mathematics, science and reading is measured. The last report dates from 2018 and the new one will begin to be prepared in the spring of 2022 (initially it was ready for 2021, but due to the pandemic, it had to be postponed for a year). The innovative competition will be creative thinking on this occasion. As indicated by the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training, this study measures the evolution of students’ knowledge and skills in a context of proliferation of information and communication technologies and their ability to respond to the demands of a world in constant change, where innovation and creativity are key elements for adaptation.
Talking about rankings and classifications in education is not always positive. Vicente del Prado Ruza, professor of the Master’s Degree in Teacher Training at the European University, believes that they are important, but “only as data from which to reflect and extract clues for analysis”. This expert points out that the importance of these studies lies in “the comparison of data that may be more objective, something that places the discussion in the field of politics and economics.”
Discipline is one of the fundamental elements in Chinese education
The latest results tell us that China is the country with the best education in the world in the three specialties: reading, mathematics and science. Two autonomous regions stand out individually in this region: Hong Kong and Macao. Discipline is one of the fundamental elements in education in this country. In fact, the requirement with which students live has been harshly criticized by other countries. Students study more than ten hours a day, classes are excessively long and their methodology is based on repetition and memorization.
Singapore and diversity
For its part, Singapore has been at the top of international rankings for many years in fields ranging from Mathematics (a subject they place great emphasis on from an early age) to Social Sciences. Students also learn English as their first language from the Infant stage and their methods focus on student reflection, avoiding memorization. Its system is structured in three basic levels: Preschool, Primary and Secondary. Diversity is the main characteristic of this last stage, since depending on the grade they have obtained, they will be able to access different programs. The Integrated Programs stand out, aimed at students who wish to pursue university studies, or the Specialized Programs, focused on those who stand out in a specific area of knowledge such as the arts or sports.
The methodology is characterized by seeking the maximum qualification of the students so that in the future they are well-prepared workers and become the main economic force. Thus, the curriculum and the approach of the teaching-learning system seek for students to ask themselves questions and seek their own answers, opt for new paths and rethink everything they see.
Finland ranked second in reading ability in the latest PISA report
The Finnish system has been in the news since 2000 and it is not news that it continues to be at the top of the world rankings. This success is based on the fact that the citizens of this country consider their young people to be bearers of the future. In this way, for them, caring for their integral development from an early age represents at the same time caring for the future of the nation. The educational system in Finland is characterized by caring for its teachers, who must ensure that the country’s human capital has the best results in the future. The teachers adapt the study plan to the needs, interests and rhythms of the students, this translates into an optimal level of personalization of teaching. Additionally, students only spend about five hours in school and do not bring home any assignments. This is because the Finnish system proposes learning based on experience: extracurricular learning is promoted that seeks to foster talents depending on the interests of each student.
This methodology concludes in understanding that students have to feel at home when they are at school. Thus, the work spaces are comfortable, the corridors are decorated with children’s work and the relationship between teachers and pupils is one of familiarity and respect.
The results of this country in the 2018 PISA report corroborate the good practice developed by the region. Performance in reading ability has placed Finland second, shared with Canada, among OECD countries, and sixth among all participating nations and regions. In mathematical ability, Finland has also performed well, ranking between 7th and 13th in the OECD countries and between 12th and 18th overall.
Canada is another educational system that has made its way into the latest world rankings. Both the primary school, the secondary school and the university enjoy a high prestige and international reputation due to their high academic standards. In general, all educational institutions offer a wide range of courses in all areas of knowledge. It is noteworthy that the educational system is characterized by being more oriented to practice than to theory, valuing the effort of the student to a greater extent. In general, the intellectual, personal and emotional growth of students is promoted and thus critical thinking and debate are stimulated. In this region, public schools coexist with private ones. However, 95% of parents lean more towards the public.
Japan’s Ministry of Education decides which are the most suitable textbooks
The most characteristic of this system is that it is not national, but is divided by provinces. In such a way that each one develops its own study plan, but they agree in betting on the subjects that promote equality, due to the division of territories and the cultural, historical and social characteristics of its citizens.
Finally, despite the fact that Japan is still among the best, in the latest PISA report, students from this country obtained the worst result in their history in the reading test, which ranked 15th, a drop from 8th place that these students defended in the previous evaluation of 2015. However, this outcome was averaged by their good scores in mathematics and science, and this educational system continues to be considered one of the most efficient in the world. One of the keys is, without a doubt, that compulsory education is, for the most part, public and free.
Throughout the compulsory schooling stage, it is the Ministry of Education that decides which are the most suitable textbooks for each level and distributes them free of charge to schools. The educational authorities are also the ones who set the subjects taught in the centres, define their objectives and design the contents. The most outstanding subjects are those that focus on training in values, such as home economics, sewing, traditional arts or moral education courses. The importance they give to this development is such that it is considered mandatory for students to finish their studies having developed cooperative behavior, respect for rules and group discipline. In fact, effort is the central axis on which the methodology of this region is based. The meritocracy-based system is instilled in students from an early age, when they are taught that having the best academic results means obtaining greater training and employment opportunities in the future.
Spain, in the queue
Spain is not very good at educational rankings. The teaching-learning process of mathematics and science has not just started in this country and the last PISA report showed the worst results since the year the test started, in 2000. However, those responsible for PISA considered that this country was among the 13 of 79 that did not experience relevant changes.
Vicente del Prado Ruza is clear about what is wrong: the training of teachers and the quality of management teams. “The changes in the different educational laws have not faced a radical reform of teacher training or managerial training, necessary to conceive a strongly constitutive and lasting educational system.” However, this teacher does not focus on a single culprit, but on all of them. “Society as a whole has disregarded, we have disregarded, giving education the central position it must have on the road to progress and cultural development,” he points out. The key for this expert is to integrate education as a resource to be a better society. Thus, he defends that the educational system should be a launch pad for the creation of learning communities and that beyond disciplinary training, “educational institutions should prepare for the permanent challenge of learning,” he indicates.
In short, this expert considers that “the improvement of our society must move us as a desired and unique result”. Education today is inserted in a process of transformation and paradigm shift: “we know where we come from, but not where we are going”.
In addition, between the autonomous communities, the differences are also very notable. In fact, Castilla y León is the one that scores best in the OECD ranking in Spain. This is due to the fact that it is autonomy with a high degree of equity and social integration, that is, there are fewer differences between those with the best and worst scores and the differences between public and private centers are not significant. They also stand out for having the lowest rate of bullying.
Obviously, the factors that make this region top the ranking are several, among which the social sphere stands out. Families attach great importance to education and the involvement they give draws attention. In addition, it is a society…