Saudi Teachers Come to Finland to Learn from World's Top Teachers
Up to 1,000 teachers from Saudi Arabia are coming to Finland to learn from Finnish school system and teaching. The first group consisting of a hundred teachers arrives to Finland in the next few months.
Minister of Education Sanni Grahn-Laaksonen visited Saudi Arabia on 3–4 October in order to advance the export of Finnish educational expertise. At the end of the visit, the Saudi Arabian Minister of Education Ahmad bin Muhammad al Issa informed that the Ministry will send altogether 1,000 teachers to learn more about the work of Finnish teachers.
The purpose is to learn how the Finnish teaching methods, practices and syllabus, seen as the world's best, could be applied in Saudi Arabia. Teacher training and reform of the education system are in the centre of the great Saudi Arabian "Saudi Vision 2030" reform plan.
The first 80–100 teachers will arrive to Finland for a six months training in the next few months.
The training is organised by Finland University, the University of Helsinki and possibly the University of Oulu. Finland University is a transnational education company co-founded by the Universities of Eastern Finland, Tampere and Turku.
Under the guidance of teacher trainers, Saudi Arabian teachers explore teaching in practice and learn different teaching practices in the teacher training schools of the Finland University partner universities and in the schools of the City of Espoo. The training includes an intense teaching period of English.
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Photos: Hanna Oksanen