In which country is it better to get an education. Countries with the best education system

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Recently, the British edition of The Times published a ranking of the best learning systems in the world. This ranking was based on results from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), a test that assesses students' literacy and ability to apply what they have learned.

The testing itself takes place every three years, and teenagers at the age of 15 take part in it. The test was first held in 2000, with Finland taking first place. Oddly enough, 12 years later, our Scandinavian neighbors showed exactly the same result: first place in the PISA test. Places from second to fifth were taken by four Asian countries: South Korea, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore, thus denoting the highest level of education in the entire region.

And only in sixth place was the UK education system, which enjoys continued popularity in the post-Soviet space. Seventh place went to Holland, eighth to New Zealand, ninth place in the study was occupied by schoolchildren from Switzerland and tenth by Canadian teenagers. Neither the United States, nor even Russia, made it into the top ten.

What is the secret to the success of countries with the best education systems? The DELFI portal decided to take a closer look at the education systems of the first seven countries from the latest PISA list.

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In Finland, children are required to enter school the year they turn seven. The year before, children are entitled to pre-primary education, which can be implemented in a kindergarten or school. But it is not mandatory.

For the first six years of their education, Finnish students do not receive grades and do not pore over notebooks and textbooks at home in an attempt to solve their homework. The same applies to exams - this is a rarity in the elementary grades of Finnish schools.

All children, regardless of their level of knowledge, study together. This is partly the reason why the difference between the most gifted and the most mediocre student in Finland is not catastrophic.

The maximum number of students in a class is 16. This allows teachers to pay attention to each individual student, and children spend more time not trying to hear what the teacher is talking about, but doing practical tasks.

Primary school students in Finland spend up to 75 minutes a day at recess, compared to 29 minutes in the US.

At the same time, teachers spend no more than four hours a day directly in front of the audience and devote two hours a week exclusively to professional growth.

In general, in Finland, teachers are treated with great respect, but they also demand a lot from them. Every teacher in the country must have a master's degree. At the same time, in order to get your first job at school, you need to be with at least 10% of the best graduates of your course.

The popularity of the profession in the country speaks for itself: in 2006, 6,600 people applied for 660 basic school teacher positions. At the same time, the average salary of a teacher in Finland is about 25,000 euros per year.

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Korean children go to school from the age of six. Prior to this, the country has the opportunity to send the child to a kindergarten (from the age of three), in which primary education takes place, but this is not at all necessary.

Primary school lasts in South Korea for six years (from 6 to 12 years of age), after which the child moves to an incomplete secondary school, where he studies until he is 15 years old. Most often, children enroll in a school that is close to their home and do not have the opportunity to choose their educational institution until, at the age of 15, they have to choose between further professional or academic education in the so-called upper secondary school.

The school curriculum in the country is developed by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, and it is reviewed every 10 years. Each school must teach its students the disciplines listed in it. However, the management of the educational institution has the right to add something of its own to the list of subjects.

In elementary school, there is only one teacher. He teaches ethics, Korean, mathematics, basic sciences and social sciences, music, and art. In addition, in schools, it is mandatory to instill in children the skills to solve various problems, the traditions and culture of the country, and also strengthen the basic principles of life by describing real "incidents at work" .

Incomplete secondary school, which children enter at 12, makes much more serious demands on their students: teenagers spend 14 hours a day, five days a week in school. At the same time, the total number of teaching hours per year reaches a thousand. At the same time, the number of students in one single class increases from about 26 to 35 people. There are no exams for moving to the next class in South Korea. Pupils move on solely because of their age. Entrance examinations will have to be taken only before entering the senior high school at the age of 15. Instead, South Korean students are regularly assessed on several dimensions, such as academic performance, extra-curricular activities and class attendance, special achievement, and moral development. All this data, however, will not be used until the teenager decides where to go.

Teaching is a highly respected profession in South Korea, not least because of job stability, excellent working conditions, and fairly high salaries. On average, a teacher can expect to earn €41,000 a year, and a host of perks could raise that to €62,000. All teachers are required to have a bachelor's degree, and teaching staff is recruited from the top 5% of university graduates.

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The education system in Hong Kong strongly resembles the South Korean version in its structure. From three to six years old, children attend a kindergarten, where they have pre-school education provided, unlike in South Korea, by private organizations. At the age of six, the child enters elementary school, at 12 he goes to incomplete secondary school, where he studies until the age of 15. Finally, he is waiting for two years in high school.

In Hong Kong, students are not so strongly attached to their place of residence and the school that is located nearby. Up to 50% of a school's students may not live in its immediate surroundings. At the same time, however, it is worth considering that about 60% of the total number of students who do not live near the school are reserved for the children of the school staff and siblings of those children who are already studying in this educational institution.

There are no examinations in the first six years of education for children. Prior to 2012, the education system in Hong Kong provided for two examinations, one after the completion of junior high school and the second after completion of high school. From next year, there will be only one exam - after the end of the entire training cycle.

Hong Kong schools have several training programs: morning, afternoon or all-day. Most schools follow the latter option.

Many programs provide not only teaching teenagers in the classroom, but also their active practical application outside the school. Teaching is conducted in Chinese, English is used as the second teaching language.

In Hong Kong, as in Korea, a large number of efforts are aimed at modernizing the learning process and minimizing paper sources of information in the educational process.

Despite the significant number of students in the class - sometimes their number can reach 40 people - a teacher in Hong Kong spends only 10-12 hours a week directly in front of the audience.

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The variant of Japanese school education is minimally different from some general Asian "standard": optional three years of kindergarten, then six years of elementary school, followed by three years of junior high school and three more senior high schools.

Compulsory for Japanese students are six years of elementary school and three years of junior high school. After that, a 15-year-old teenager may not even study at all, but almost 95% of Japanese students choose to continue their education in an older high school.

Among the usual subjects for elementary school, such as the native language and literature, arithmetic, social sciences, music and physical education, there are also moral education and self-control.

In elementary and junior high schools, Japanese teachers use the principle of "holistic learning", which means that at any given time, all students in the class are working on the same task. Despite this, the lessons rarely take the form of a lecture, most often it is a joint discussion or work on projects and common assignments.

Until recently, Japanese students were forced to spend six days a week in school, do an impossible amount of homework, and in between these two things, find time for tutors (especially when preparing for university exams). New reforms have reduced the school schedule in Japan to five days a week, but the amount of homework has not changed. Add here a short summer vacation and get a portrait of a typical Japanese schoolchild, tortured by extracurricular education, almost more than all his peers from other countries of the world.

Exams in Japanese schools take place at the end of junior high school and high school and have a big impact on where a student goes in the next stage of education. During the entire course of study at school, teachers evaluate students using a variety of tests and homework. At the same time, class teachers spend a lot of time with their students, not only within the walls of the school, but also outside it.

The teaching profession in Japan is highly respected and difficult enough to get. Only 14% of those who aspire to become teachers end up with teaching diplomas, and only 30-40% of those who do get a job as a teacher.

The average salary of a teacher after 15 years in school is about 38,000 euros per year, and they spend almost half the time in the classroom than their counterparts in the US (27% of their total working time compared to 53%).

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Children go to school in Singapore from the age of six. Education in it is divided into several stages, of which only the first is obligatory - six years of elementary school. Next comes the high school with many different options, the final is the pre-university course.

In the basic school (they study there until the age of 12), children are taught their native language, English (mandatory), mathematics and many small but important subjects such as aesthetic education, physical education, music, etc. at the end of elementary school, children are waiting for an exam, which is called the Primary School Leaving Examination.

After that, you can not go anywhere else, but the vast majority of children prefer to spend at least another four years studying. In secondary school, there is a division into courses: special (4-6 years), express (4 years), normal academic (5 years), normal technical (4 years) and pre-professional (1-4 years).

Depending on the course, students receive a General Certificate of Education of different levels (in ascending order - N, O or A) and can either stop at this, or continue their education further and, upon receiving a certificate of level "A", go to university.

Not everyone who wants to become a teacher becomes a teacher in Singapore. Potential teachers are selected from the top 30% of university graduates. But even this does not always help to become a teacher, since the competition for a place in the school is very high.

In addition to salaries - an average of around 35,000 euros per year - teachers in Singapore have a chance to receive a significant amount of bonuses, sometimes as high as 30% of their salary. The amount of the bonus is calculated based on the results of a rigorous annual review of the teacher's performance, his professional qualities, visible potential and active in the work of his native educational institution.

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The British education system, it seems, does not depend at all on what place the country occupies in PISA tests - they went there, they go there and they will go there. Not least because of a certain touch of elitism in British educational institutions. Especially if we are talking about a boarding school, whose age is remembered only with reverence.

Most often, such boarding houses are, firstly, quite elite, both in terms of the society gathered in them, and in terms of the finances necessary for teaching a child there. And, secondly, the chosen boarding house will most likely be exclusively for boys or for girls. There are many arguments in favor of separate education, just like in favor of joint schools, while none of them is decisive.

In general, education in the UK begins at the age of five, when a child enters primary school. Education in it lasts up to 12 years, and homework at this time in an English school may not be.

This opportunity appeared for primary school teachers in early 2012, when the country's Minister of Education announced that now each teacher will decide for himself whether to ask him something at home or manage by other means. Checking the comprehensibility of the material is most often carried out with the help of an essay or a project that needs to be completed. However, they refused to introduce such concessions for secondary school students.

Education in elementary school ends with an exam - Common Entrance Examination. Passing the exam is your ticket to high school. There, the teenager spends a few more years and at the age of 16 passes the next final exam - GCSE (certificate of general secondary education). This certificate is a requirement for all students in the UK.

Schools in the UK also try to adhere to the rules that were formed a long time ago and since then have been an integral part of British education - compulsory school uniforms, active participation in charity, regular social work.

Until the age of 8, classes are most often conducted by one teacher, after that subject teachers appear and more attention begins to be paid to what is necessary for successful completion of final exams at school.

In closed boarding schools, education can take place on an individual basis or in groups where children are gathered according to their abilities. There are also additional subjects that may not be in a regular school. This is not surprising, since private schools in England have the right not to adhere to the national curriculum. Most often, boarding schools leave the backbone of this program, simply adding to it a large number of courses, among which you can choose the ones you need.

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Children in the Netherlands can start attending pre-school at the age of three, but most often this happens at the age of 4, and from the age of five it is compulsory. From the age of five to 12, flyers in the Netherlands attend elementary school, after which they will have to take an exam.

The results of the exam largely determine where the child will go to study. Three possibilities open before him: preparatory secondary education (VMBO) - 4 years, general secondary or pre-university education (HAVO) - 5 years, pre-university education (VWO) - 6 years. However, in the first two years of study, their educational programs practically copy each other, which greatly facilitates the transition between them for those students who, for some reason, decided to change the program as a whole. Beginning in 2007, completion of one of these programs is mandatory for students.

The educational program is set by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, but any school has the right to add to it what it considers necessary for learning. In elementary school, teenagers learn three languages at once - Dutch, Frisian and English, mathematics, social studies, drawing and physical education.

At the end of elementary school, an exam is held, which is a test with several answers to questions and is intended rather to identify the ability of a teenager in certain sciences, a week for the usual assessment of his knowledge. In addition, teachers and the school principal prepare a detailed report on the work of a particular student, which will be used when a teenager enters a secondary school.

During the learning process, students' knowledge is assessed in the ways we are accustomed to: assessments for homework, classroom work, and oral examinations.

Among other things, parents of students are usually actively involved in the work of schools. More than 90% of parents did some kind of one-time odd job for schools; 53% helped with classroom teaching; 56% have been members of PTAs at some time and 60% have provided and continue to provide assistance outside the classroom – in the library, school newspaper, preparation of teaching materials, etc. All this allows them to be aware of all the problems and successes of their own children and direct them, if necessary, in the right direction.

At the same time, Holland now lacks good, professional teachers. And this is despite a quite decent salary of about 60 thousand dollars a year, which the government of the country is trying to keep at the level, while at the same time modernizing the way of obtaining an appropriate education.

When choosing a country to study, I want to have some guidelines, so future students often look at the results of various ratings in their search. If you can somehow figure out the ranking of universities, then with the ranking of countries by level of education, everything is much more complicated.

However, such ratings also exist. One of the most famous is the Education Index, which is calculated within the framework of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). This is an index of adult literacy and an index of cumulative share of students in education, so these data speak more about the accessibility of education than about its quality. So, the highest lines in the ranking are occupied by New Zealand, Norway, Australia, Ireland and the USA.

More useful for future students will be ratings that reflect the effectiveness of the educational system. For example, there is the Universitas 21 ranking, compiled by the world's leading academic universities. This ranking takes into account the educational environment, available educational resources in the country, educational cooperation and performance. The last indicator is the most important - its share in the ranking is 40%. The top of the ranking is occupied by the USA, Sweden, Switzerland, Canada and Denmark. Interestingly, New Zealand, the winner of the United Nations Education Index, only ranks 14th in the university rankings.

Interesting data was obtained by the British company Pearson as a result of a study of the best education systems. The leaders were South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Finland and the UK. The top ten also includes Canada, the Netherlands, Ireland, Poland and Denmark. The United States took 14th place and was one line below Russia. Such data were obtained, among other things, on the basis of the results of graduation points of schoolchildren, the level of literacy and the number of students enrolled in universities.

However, these data are still not enough when choosing a country for training. These ratings are focused on the inhabitants of the country and describe the education system as one of the indicators of the level of development of the state. For a foreigner planning to study abroad, not only the economic situation in the country and the quality of education are important, but also factors such as the cost of education, the opportunity to work and undergo an internship, employment, scholarships, etc. In addition, you need to take into account both the specialty and the type of education.

Ranking of countries by level of education (for international students)

Secondary education

: prestige (especially for boarding schools), the opportunity to enter any university in the world after school, high quality education and character development.
: small classes, attention to each student, orientation to practical classes, teachers with a master's degree.
: high-quality European education, preparation for entering the leading universities of the world, excellent ecology, rich culture, a curriculum that includes sports, music and art, an international environment.
: unlike the United States, where the range of schools in terms of the quality of education is very large, Canadian secondary schools are more homogeneous and are an order of magnitude superior to American ones. Graduates of Canadian schools can enter almost any university in the world without additional preparation.
: the opportunity to study in English according to the international program or the curriculum of British secondary schools, but much cheaper than in the UK, a diploma of secondary education, with which you can enter any university in the world.

Higher education (bachelor's degree)

: British universities are famous for their traditions, high quality education and a prestigious diploma. Even if we are not talking about the famous Oxford and Cambridge, a British university diploma will look great on a resume. In addition, getting a higher education in the UK provides a good opportunity to start a career there.
: free education in state universities, a huge selection of programs, fundamental education and a European diploma - the reasons to go to get higher education in Germany.
: although not all American universities can be called strong, the country has enough educational institutions with an impeccable reputation (for example, universities that are members of the prestigious Ivy League), a large selection of programs, including distance learning, a flexible approach to learning and the possibility
: a very comfortable country for living, a developed economy, good career opportunities and high quality education, but one and a half to two times cheaper than in the US and many European countries.
: a large selection of programs in English, well-equipped universities and research centers, a European diploma, a high standard of living in the country, the right to work while studying for foreign students.

Master's degree

: a large selection of programs, both applied and research, the opportunity to study for free (at state universities) or receive a scholarship, many English-language programs, a prestigious diploma.
: the opportunity to study for free or for a nominal fee, the right to combine work and study and practice in local companies, English-language programs, a European diploma that is recognized all over the world.
: a huge selection of programs in a variety of specializations, a flexible system of education, a good opportunity to establish useful contacts, as well as find a job after graduation.
: prestigious diploma, international orientation of programs, fundamental knowledge, internships in British companies.
: low cost with high quality education, scholarships for students, including for foreigners, a large selection of areas and specializations, the opportunity to study in a research or professional (more applied) program.

MBA

: America is the birthplace of business education. Most of the well-known and prestigious business schools are concentrated here (Harvard Business School, Columbia, Stanford Graduate School of Business, Haas Business School - University of California Berkeley, Wharton - University of Pennsylvania, Kellogg School of Management), whose diploma is quoted all over the world.
: London remains one of the world's economic centers and is very attractive for both careerists and entrepreneurs, and British schools are famous for their internationality and excellent preparation, especially in the field of finance. The most famous educational institutions are London Business School, London School of Economics and Political Science, Said Business School (Oxford), Judge Business School (Cambridge) and Warwick Business School.
: A high standard of living by Western standards and geographic proximity to the emerging markets of Asia, combined with quality and less expensive education in local business schools (for example, the Australian Graduate School of Management and Melbourne Business School) make Australia an attractive place to study and jobs for visionary careerists.
: The country is famous for the high quality of education in accordance with European standards. Here are some of the best business schools in Europe and the world - INSEAD, HEC Paris and EMLYON.
. A country with a good economy, great opportunities, an unsaturated job market and a high standard of living, Canada is attractive to business students who want to pursue a career in North America and at the same time spend less on education than in the United States. Of the business schools, the most popular are Schulich’s Business School (York University), Rotman School (University of Toronto), Sauder Business School (University of British Columbia’s Sauder Business School, Desautels School (Mcgill University).

PhD

: a large number of universities, a huge selection of programs, well-equipped laboratories and research centers, many organizations that support science with scholarships and grants.
: excellent research base, good opportunities for those who are engaged in research in the field of natural sciences.
: fundamental approach, location in the center of Europe and the opportunity to communicate with other scientists, good financial support for projects, especially in the field of natural and technical sciences.
New Zealand: Postgraduate study in New Zealand is a good step towards an international career in science.
: rich traditions, a serious scientific base, "star" teachers and good prospects after the defense.

Directions of study

You can find a program in a particular specialty in almost any country. However, there is an unofficial specialization of countries: for example, it is better to study design and art in Italy, and high technologies in Sweden.

Legal education: USA, UK, Australia, Germany
Economic Education: UK, USA, Switzerland, Germany
Technical education: Germany, Sweden, Hong Kong, Singapore, China
Natural Sciences: Sweden, Austria, Germany, New Zealand, Australia
Medical education: Switzerland, Sweden, Israel, Czech Republic, Germany, USA
Humanities education: France, UK, Italy, Spain

The cost of higher education

The high cost of education abroad is one of the main obstacles. However, many European countries allow foreigners to study at universities for free, and even in the US, prestigious universities such as Princeton, Harvard and Yale provide scholarships for students from families with low incomes and do not require student loans.

List of European countries where you can get a quality education for free (at state universities):

Austria
Belgium
Germany
Spain
Italy
Norway
Poland
Finland
Sweden
Czech

Useful links:

www.hdr.undp.org/en United Nations Development Program (UNDP)
www.universitas21.com Community of Academic Universities of the World
www.sq.com Ratings of universities according to the British company QS
www.colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges American University Rankings
World University Ranking

Education is an integral process of educating and teaching a person from an early age. The world education index is determined by key indicators of social development. Statistical data annually provide information, which indicates the rating of states that occupy leading positions in the world in terms of the level of education provided. To find out in which countries it is prestigious to get an education, which systems are considered the best, and which states are the most literate, it is recommended to consider world rankings.

List of countries by literacy rate

According to the level of literacy of the population of the country, the degree of education of the people is determined. According to the latest information, the list of countries by literacy looks like this:

Estonia, Cuba, Germany and Latvia occupy high positions, the index is 99.8%;
Barbados, Slovenia, Belarus, Lithuania, Ukraine and Armenia occupy the following levels in terms of the degree of literacy of the population - the index is 99.7%;
Kazakhstan and Tajikistan have an index of 99.6%;
Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Russia also do not lag behind, have a decent index - 99.5%;
Hungary, Kyrgyzstan and Poland according to statistics, they have an index of 99.4%;
Moldova and Tonga close the list of leaders, their index is 99.2%.

At the moment, the level of literacy in the countries of the world is considered high: only 17% of the population is still semi-literate. A large proportion according to statistics falls on young people aged 15-24 years.

Ranking of countries in the world by level of education: top 10

The United Nations Development Program is engaged in research aimed at identifying the current level of education. Studies are conducted every year, they provide the following data with indexes:

Australia - 0.939.
Denmark - 0.923.
New Zealand - 0.917.
Norway - 0.916.
Germany - 0.914.
Ireland - 0.910.
Iceland - 0.906.
USA - 0.900.
Netherlands - 0.897.
Great Britain - 0.896.

Next in the ranking are the countries of Europe, Japan, the CIS countries. The last places are distributed between Guinea, Ethiopia, Sudan, Mali, Chad, Eritrea, Niger. It is in the regions of Central Africa that a low educational level is observed: this is due to the low level of social development. The state does not have enough finances to provide decent places for education of children and youth.

Budget spending on the development of education in different countries

To calculate the level of spending on education, statisticians use the ratio of private and public spending, expressed as a percentage of GDP. At the moment, the most developed countries are distinguished by the fact that the state itself holds control over education, which ensures its proper level. Quality education does not depend on the funds spent - it is based on qualified personnel and the right system.

The Republic of East Timor spends the largest amount of money on education - about 14% of GDP is spent from the budget. Next comes the Kingdom of Lesotho in South Africa - the state spends 13% on education: here literacy among women is higher than among men. Following Lesotho is Cuba, spending 12.9% of GDP, which is not surprising, because education in Cuba is free for everyone - immigrants and indigenous people.

The Republic of Burundi in East Africa is located in 4 positions - the authorities spend 9.2% of GDP on education: here education is considered compulsory from childhood (7 years). Moldova closes the top five - the state spends 9.1% of the funds from the budget. Following positions are occupied by Denmark, Maldives, Djibouti, Namibia and Cyprus with spending levels ranging from 8.7 to 7.9%. The last place belongs to the United Arab Emirates.

Ranking of the quality of education in the countries of the world: a selection of the top ten

It has long been believed that obtaining a diploma in a European educational institution opens the gate to many areas of life. Today the situation has changed little, but there are competitors from European countries in terms of the quality of the education provided. The rating looks like this:

In the first place are Japan and South Korea: students attend school 7 days a week.
Next on the list is Singapore, an economically developing country that is famous for its strong development of preschool institutions.
In third place is Hong Kong, where primary, secondary and higher education is not inferior to world leaders in this area.
The fourth place was taken by Finland.
The fifth position is occupied by the United Kingdom with world-class universities.
Canada ranks sixth with a high level of knowledge among college graduates.
The Netherlands settled in seventh position due to the fact that the volume of investment in the sphere is insufficient.
Ireland is in eighth place: schoolchildren and preschoolers can study for free.
On the ninth line is Poland.
Closes the top ten leaders in terms of the quality of education in the world - Denmark.

According to the list, we can conclude that Asian countries are becoming leaders in this area, the Scandinavian zone is also not far behind, and Europe continues to provide quality education to young people.

The best education systems in the world: a list of countries

The quality of education in the country is determined not only by the amount of funds from the budget, but also by the effectiveness of the education system. To understand the situation, the top 10 countries were prepared, where the best education systems are:

Switzerland.
Denmark.
Great Britain.
Sweden.
Finland.
Netherlands.
Singapore.
Canada.
Australia.

If we compare the previously proposed rankings, then Finland, the UK, the Netherlands and Singapore not only have good and effective educational systems, but also a high level of education quality. Australia, Denmark, the United States and the Netherlands are also among the best countries in terms of education in the world.

The most prestigious universities in the world

You can get a successful and promising specialty in the most prestigious universities in the world. Students of these institutions receive international diplomas. Top 10 most demanded institutions:

Harvard University, Cambridge (USA).
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge (USA).
Stanford University in California (USA).
University of California at Berkeley (USA).
University of Cambridge (Great Britain).
Oxford University (UK).
University of California at Los Angeles (USA).
Yale University, New Haven (USA).
Princeton University (USA).
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (USA).

It can be seen from the top that the institutions of America and Great Britain have become the best and most prestigious institutions in the world of education.

Level of education for international students: ranking of the best countries

The issue of the quality of education provided for foreign students remains relevant. Most school graduates from all over the world strive to enter prestigious institutions, but not everyone succeeds.