The first stop of the tour today was at the Finnish National Board of Education. Counsellor Leo Pahkin's presentation highlighted how the success of the country's education system has been attributed to the support of the whole country for a social welfare structure that provides free health care, free tertiary education, and other equality-oriented benefits. All political parties, for example, whether on the right or the left, commonly agree that such a system is essential to the development of its society. The system is also pillared by a sense of mutual respect and trust between the state and its citizens to carry out their respective roles in ensuring the right of every Finnish child to high quality educational services. If more expenses are needed to fund poor or underpopulated regions, they can count on the wealthier areas to help their less affluent citizens. Now you see why it is almost an impossible task to implement a similar system in the US.
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| Presenting Mr Pahkin with a momento from La Roche College |
Later we also visited Temppeliaukkion Church, a granite-hewn church located in central Helsinki. Afterwards we visited beautiful Sibelius Park, a commemoration to the great Finnish composer, whose Finlandia gave them a sense of identity and patriotism. Below are photos of the visit:
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| Keep on the inside of the sidewalk when walking in Helsinki - the other side is for cyclists |
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The whole group at Sibelius Park monument
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Afterwards, we had dinner in a rural-themed Finnish restaurant. Photos below:
That's all for now. It's getting late - was a little disoriented from lack of sleep. Must catch up. Later...
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