Suomi is the self-name of one of the Scandinavian countries

What do we know about our western neighbor? Suomi (this is Finland) is the easternmost state of the Scandinavian Peninsula. In Finnish, the state is called Suomi, in Swedish - Finland.

History of Finland did not know serfdom. Probably, therefore, a progressive scale of taxation has taken root here: the higher the earnings, the higher the tax rate. Hence the so-called Finnish model of socialism, according to which there are no hungry or homeless people, and wealthy citizens often travel on the same cars as the poor.

High level of education

Finland (Suomi) is a small country, but the primary task of the government is to achieve high indicators in education and increase the level of knowledge and skills of the population. In the late 1990s, when the country joined the European Union, education expenditures accounted for 6.2% of GDP (gross domestic product is the most important indicator of the economy), while for OECD countries (the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) this figure was 5.3 %. In the state budget for education 14% are allocated.

The level of education of the Finns is quite high. The Finnish authorities pay enough attention to education. To date, this Scandinavian country has almost 4,000 educational institutions, where about 2,000,000 students study. According to international experts, the level of education of schoolchildren and students has reached good results. Studies have once again confirmed that the country of Suomi "ahead of the whole planet."

Compulsory education

The organization of compulsory schooling is done by municipalities (there are about 450 of them in our western neighbor). Local authorities are obliged to supervise that all children from 7 to 16 years who live in the territory under its jurisdiction receive compulsory education. Children study at school for free. For textbooks issued in schools, also do not have to pay.

Children really start to learn at the age of 7. From the 3 rd class begins compulsory study of the English language, and from the 7th grade - Swedish. Study in secondary school lasts 9-10 years. And children - citizens of Finland, and children - citizens of other states are required to obtain the amount of knowledge provided by the program of the general education school. However, this knowledge can be obtained both by attending school and by studying in other ways (for example, home schooling). This means that there is no compulsory "school service" in Finland.

Suomi is a cultural center

Getting knowledge of the older generation among the Finns over the past 20 years has become a dominant component of education policy. People of age are in no way inferior in education to younger groups. Suomi (Finland), like other Scandinavian countries, is aging (by demographic indicators). In this regard, the need for further training of adult population groups will continue to grow. According to international data, Finnish citizens actively attend various courses at educational institutions (including universities).

Teaching in universities is carried out in Finnish, Swedish, English. Among the higher educational institutions in Finland there are both multi-faculty universities and highly specialized educational institutions.

Preschool education

Unlike others, Suomi is a country where there are no specialized educational institutions, and children are being taught in kindergartens and simply in general schools. Preschool education is the education and upbringing of children during the year preceding the first year of schooling (the first class of the school). The formation of six-year plans provides for fixing the motivation of the kids for mastering the subjects. Pre-school education in Finland is free, but not mandatory.