Education Secretary Michael Gove wants to change the primary and secondary school curriculums in England.

He has said he wants pupils to be taught a "core knowledge" of facts and figures. He wants them to be able to recite their times tables, punctuate a sentence correctly and list capitals of the world.

The education systems in Hong Kong, Finland, and South Korea are often lauded as among the best in the world, scoring highly in international league tables.

Here academics suggest reasons why the state-run education system in these countries is top of the class.

Photo credit: Wootang01