Quantity is not the only metric

The right balance of quality and quantity is crucial to the health of any education system

When it comes to education, it is all about striking the right balance of quantity and quality. Photo: Silvia Razgova / The National

There are many approaches to establishing the right mix of work and rest. The Scandinavians, for example, have large holiday allowances while those in Turkey, Japan and the US often only get two weeks of annual leave. This debate extends beyond the workplace to educational institutions. To achieve the best results, how many days a year should our children be in school?

As The National reported yesterday, recent changes to the education curriculum approved by the Cabinet have added an extra 14 days of holiday to the 2015-2016 academic year. Over the next three academic years, the number of school days will decrease from 189 to 175. Taken by itself, this news is not earth shattering. In China and France, schools operate 170 days or fewer.

Brazilian and Italian pupils, on the other hand, are in their classrooms for more than 200 days per year. There is no one correct approach to this question. The primary challenge is to ensure the highest level of quality in education while allowing children to be, well, children. How best to achieve this balance?

The Finnish education model might provide some examples. In Finland, teachers spend less time in classrooms and more time crafting tailored curriculums and assessing their students. Students also have ample time to play outside. The result is an educational environment that is conducive to learning.

Finland has some of the highest education standards in the world and the highest rate of university attendance in the EU. While the Finnish model might not be an exact fit for our educational institutions, the notion that we can focus on quality, not quantity, is a sound guiding principle.

The Abu Dhabi Education Council and the Dubai Knowledge and Human Development Authority are both committed to improving standards in our school system.

It is easy to become distracted by the idea that less time at school equals a lower quality education. It does not.