Finland's School Success Based On Well Trained and Paid Teachers

Anu Partanen argues in "What Americans Keep Ignoring About Finland's School Success" (The Atlantic Monthly 29 December 2011), that the success of Finland's high level of education is due to the absence of private schools. However, I suggest a more significant factor may be that Finish teachers are required to have much higher levels of education and are paid much better. A Finnish school teacher is required to have least a Master's degree, 35 weeks study in a school subject and 35 weeks teacher training.

Finish teachers get paid 13% more than miners, unlike Australia, where teachers get paid 29% less than miners.

One way the education of Australian teachers can be improved is by providing on-line courses. But then if their salaries are not also increased, they may go and work for the mining industry. ;-)