Apparently it is based on war, but a war of different kind. A war against different aspects of the society in the US.

The documentary starring Michael Moore, showcases his journey 'invading' different countries and taking their valuables with him. But the valuables that we are taking about are not gold or silver, but ideas and systems. He visits several countries and finds out what is best about them. Whether it's their economic system or their way of handling war on drugs and so on. Among these essential things that he investigates, he comes across a fundamental one in Finland - education. Today Finland ranks number one globally in terms of quality of education.

As he further explored Finland's education system, the more he learnt and understood how advanced and well-managed it is. From amazing midday meals to extremely well-maintained classrooms, it was all in not just good but great shape. To give you a perspective of how well it was, there students got a proper three course meal prepared by a proper chef along with a proper healthy fruit juice drink in proper china dishes along with proper steel utensils! (I was jealous as hell. Believe me when you too see a properly cooked five-star grade food being served in a school, you'd be jealous too. When I was in school, I used to get a sandwich with meat slapped in between; it was but nothing compared to what they were getting).

The chef informed Moore why it was important for children to have a proper meal instead of any gibberish that they eat these days. If that wasn't enough, the students also enjoyed no homework and ample play time. The teachers explained that students in their early stage need to be able to enjoy and live fully. When they do that the students can then truly focus on what they like and will be able to study and learn properly, absorb all that is being taught to them. And the results seem to agree with the teacher too.

The students in Finland perform exceptionally well in academics too. The students are more energised and more excited to learn new things, ultimately fulfilling the purpose of education. Between stick and carrot, carrot seems to be providing a much better result not just now but also in the long run. But one might just wonder how all of this justifies the title of my article. So here's the catch - there are no private schools in Finland! Yep, that's right. Five-star grade food being served in a public school. The government must be bonkers, but the thing is it is not. The authorities are nothing but pure genius.

They are investing in the greatest resource they have: People, children - the future of their country and their goal is not just to make them academically strong but also culturally respectful.

There was once a time in Finland when schools ranked poorly and education suffered. The government decided that it was time to fix this and took some drastic steps, breaking away from the traditional schooling practices and adapting unthinkable ones that led to the modern education system.

Moreover, the government made sure there were no private schools in the country. This meant whether a student was rich or poor, had to attend the same school.

There was one school per neighbourhood; which meant students of all economic classes and cultures had to attend the same school, thus promoting communal harmony and understanding each other's culture and respect for people of different economic background. Having no private schools also meant was that parents of rich children ensured that the quality of education and facilities provided to students were never compromised with.
Now, how cool is that! Oman too can benefit from such an education system, with students of all backgrounds, all nationalities, all last names studying under one roof understanding, learning and developing together as a nation. Private school advocates may say otherwise, but trust me, it's time to get rid of private schools.

Mohammad Yusuf Farooque
Via e-mail