I recently accompanied Krista Kiuru, Finland’s minister of education and science, when she visited the Eliot K-8 Innovation School in Boston, and asked her what Finland is doing that we could learn from.
I visited four Finnish schools while researching my BOOK Parenting Without Borders.
While there, I frequently heard a saying: “We can’t afford to waste a brain.” It was clear that children were regarded as one of Finland’s most precious resources. You INVEST significantly in providing the basic resources so that all children may prosper.
How do these notions undergird your educational system?
We used to have a system which was really unequal. My parents never had a real possibility to study and have a higher education. We decided in the 1960s that we would provide a free quality education to all.
Even universities are free of charge. Equal means that we support everyone and we’re not going to waste anyone’s skills.
We don’t know what our kids will turn out like—we can’t know if one first-grader will become a famous composer, or another a famous scientist.
Regardless of a person’s gender, background, or social welfare status, everyone should have an equal chance to make the most of their skills.
It’s important because we are raising the potential of the entire human capital in Finland. Even if we don’t have oil or minerals or any other natural resources, well, we think human capital is also a valuable resource.