Road to 5**：Finland continues to be the happiest region
【明報專訊】◆News summary
According to the 2020 World Happiness Report published by the United Nations(UN), Finland has been named the happiest country or region for the third consecutive year. Hong Kong has fallen two places to 78th place. Taiwan is ranked 25th, the highest region in Asia. Mainland China is ranked 94th.
◆Source A
Finland scores 7.809 out of the highest score of 10. The life expectancy and GDP of Hong Kong are ranked 2nd and 8th respectively. But its scores are low in life evaluation, social support and freedom. Overall, it is ranked 78th with a score of 5.510, down two places from 2019.
The Finnish education system is well-known and praised around the world, and many countries refer to it as a model for their education systems. In 2019, Finnish educator Pasi Silander pointed out in an interview with Ming Pao that Finland uses thematic teaching methods similar to the concept of interdisciplinary learning in Hong Kong. By focusing their studies on an assigned theme, students acquire knowledge from different areas. According to Silander, in contrast with Hong Kong, teachers in Finland have less administrative responsibilities and shorter teaching hours, allowing them to focus on different modern teaching methods. Silander also pointed out that school hours in Finland are shorter at only about five hours, and more than half of the schools do not assign homework, allowing students more time to have fun.
Source: Ming Pao, 2020.04.20
■Mock examination question
“If schools in Hong Kong apply the Finnish education system, stress levels of local students are likely to decrease.” To what extent do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer with reference to the provided data and your own knowledge.
Agree to a large extent
· Reduced school hours
According to the information provided, one characteristic of Finnish education is that the class hours are not long, and more than half of the schools do not assign homework to students. One possible contributing factor to the high academic stress of Hong Kong students is that school hours are excessively long and the assigned homework is often complicated, which results in students not having sufficient time to rest. If the short class hours of the Finnish education system are applied to Hong Kong, students will have more time to rest, which helps to relieve academic stress.
·Promote thematic teaching
According to the information provided, the Finnish education system mainly uses thematic learning to inspire students. A couple of the main sources of academic stress for students in Hong Kong originate from examinations and course selection. A change to more thematic teaching methods is beneficial to reducing academic stress in students.
Agree to a small extent
·Difficulty in resolving other stress factors
Current contributing factors to high stress levels in students include not only heavy academic work, but also interpersonal conflict, family conflict, and social tension. According to the information provided, teachers in Finland are responsible for less administrative work, while teachers in Hong Kong are often weighed down by administrative responsibilities. To resolve this problem, the Hong Kong government increased manpower and provided more supporting resources, which, compared to switching to the Finnish education system, would be a better method of relieving high levels of academic stress in students.
·Difficulty in abolishing elitism
Hong Kong is a knowledge-based society that pursues elitism. The priority it gives to grades is one of the main contributing factors to the students' high levels of academic stress. If the Finnish education system is applied in Hong Kong while society still pursues elitism, it will still be difficult to alleviate the academic stress of students.
Translated by Odyssey Lang
[通通識 第680期]
