Finland and South Korea's school systems are practically polar opposites.
The former is typically Scandinavian â€" relaxed, humane, egalitarian and state-funded. Kids have short school days, minimal homework and a balanced view toward extracurricular activities. Public schooling is free, even in university and even for foreigners. Private tutors are usually only used for students who genuinely need the extra help.
South Korea is draconian by comparison. For 90 percent of primary school students, long school days are followed by tutoring. (This is typical in affluent parts of East Asia. The same goes for 85 percent of Hong Kong students and a staggering 97 percent of young Singaporeans).
The focus is on exam results, rote learning, discipline and even punishment. For years, some summer cram schools have kept students working from 6:30 a.m. until midnight.The system is also money-driven. After the United States, South Korea has the world's most expensive u niversities. The cost of celebrity private tutors puts pressure on both the parents who pay for them, and the kids who feel they must perform to get their money's worth.
There can be another price paid. As my colleague Mark McDonald reported last year, student suicides roiled the Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, the prestigious university known as Kaist. “Day after day we are cornered into an unrelenting competition that smothers and suffocates us,†the student council wrote at the time. “We couldn't even spare 30 minutes for our troubled classmates because of all our homework.â€
But somehow, through entirely different means, Finland and South Korea have achieved the same end: excellent education systems.
On the latest IHT education page, I report on new research by Pearson and the Economist Intelligence Unit, which selected Finland and South Korea as the only two countries in the top band of its Global Index of Cognitive Skills and Educational Attainment.
“It is hard to find two education systems more different,†the report said.
The ranking is based on test scores, literacy and graduation rates. Here are the top 10:
1. Finland
2. South Korea
3. Hong Kong
4. Japan
5. Singapore
6. The United Kingdom
7. The Netherlands
8. New Zealand
9. Switzerland
10. Canada
East Asian states â€" with their obsessive, high-stress approach toward education â€" dominated the top five. The United States ranked 17th.
Which system is better: a European model that encourages equality, creativity and a healthy lifestyle or an Asian model that focuses on technical skills and concrete results? Students: Where would you rather study? Parents: Where would you want your kids to be?
