[mathattack]

My understanding of Finland isn't that teachers are paid more, it's that they are highly respected. (Similar to Singapore) They are in a positive cycle: Teachers are respected -> The elite want to become teachers -> Teachers are respectable.

We are in the converse of that: Teachers are not respected -> The bottom want to become teachers -> Teachers are not respectable.

I'm not putting all of the blame on teachers. Some part of the problem is individual teachers. Some is the stupidity of their unions. Some is poor administration. Some is society for not demanding more out of everyone involved in education.