(Op-ed published by The Straits Times on Sept. 6, 2013)

By Trisha Craig

IF PRE-SCHOOL were an Olympic event, Finland would have a lock on the gold.

Its early childhood education system consistently ranks at the top of international charts. And when you walk into typical Finnish classrooms, as I did last week, it is easy to see why.

On the metrics that matter with these global comparisons, Finland excels. The student-teacher ratios are low, meaning each teacher has fewer pupils to attend to. Teachers are well trained. This fosters warm, nurturing and intellectually engaging interactions.

Pre-school teachers in Finland are also well compensated and well respected, which means that centres face less of the disruptive high turnover that often plagues early education systems where teaching is less socially valued. Continue reading …