Language education policy and practice in Finland Pirkko Nuolijärvi London Efnil, October 26th, 2011 Research Institute for the Languages of Finland

Contents Education system and content of basic education in Finland Languages offered and studied in schools Languages offered in universities and polytechnics; business students’ language choices as an example Recent efforts to strengthen the selection of languages taught at different levels of education Schools and programmes of multilingual education.

The Finnish curriculum It is self-evident that people learn foreign languages Everyone has the right to learn foreign languages Everyone has other languages in their native country

The

Basic Education Act Section 11 Content of education The basic education syllabus shall contain, as enacted by virtue of Section 14, the following core subjects: mother tongue and literature, the second national language, foreign languages, environmental studies, health education, religious education or ethics, history, social studies, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, geography, physical education, music, art, crafts, and home economics.

Language studies in grades 1– Compulsory language A1 Optional language A2 Compulsory language B1 Optional language B2 Total% GradesLanguage Grades 1-6 English Swedish Finnish French German Russian Sámi Other

Language studies in grades 7– Common languageA1 Optional languageA2 Common languageB1 Optional languageB2 Total % Yhteinen kieli A1 Vapaaehtoin en kieli A2 Yhteinen kieli B1 Valinnainen kieli B2 Yhteensä Osuus vuosiluokkie n 1-6 oppilaista, % Osuus vuosiluokkie n 7-9 oppilaista, % Language studies in grades 7-9 English Swedish Finnish French German Russian Sámi Latin Other

Language studies in the upper secondary school Language Compulsory A language Compulsory B1 Optional B2, at least 6 courses Optional B3, at least 6 courses Optional language, fewer than 6 courses Total% English Swedish Finnish French German Russian Sámi Latin Spanish Italian Other

Bilingual education Language immersion programmes: - Swedish immersion for Finnish-speaking children - English immersion for various groups - Showers in Chinese Bilingual schools: Finnish-French school, Finnish-Russian schools, German school, International school (instruction in English)

Programmes to strengthen language learning Language projects to strengthen different language choices in the comprehensive school in different parts of Finland: instead of English, supporting choices of French or Russian (Kielitivoli – Finnish Amusement Park) Svenska nu (Swedish Now)

Government Decree on University Degrees 794/2004 Section 6 Language proficiency The student must demonstrate in studies included in education for a lower or higher university degree or otherwise that he/she has attained: (1) proficiency in Finnish and Swedish which is required of civil servants in bilingual public agencies and organisations under Section 6(1) of the Act on the Knowledge of Languages Required of Personnel in Public Bodies (424/2003) and which is necessary for their field; and (2) skills in at least one foreign language needed to follow developments in the field and to operate in an international environment.

The Language Centre of the University of Helsinki Established in 1977 to provide language teaching in accordance with the degree requirements of all faculties at the University of Helsinki. Elementary, intermediate, and specialized courses in 17 languages

Business students’ choices Language taken at university (n = 2663) English92.5% Swedish79.9 German48.0 Spanish28.9(W 31%, M 26%) French25.1(W 33%, M 15%) Russian13.9 Italian 3.9(W 5%, M 3%) Japanese 3.1 Other 3.7 Grasz, Sabine & Schlabach, Joachim (2011)Business students' choices of foreign languages

National Certificates of Language Proficiency Intended for adults Assessing language skills in practical situations Available in English, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Russian, Sámi, Spanish and Swedish

Current issues in public debate How to increase people’s language skills in other languages than in English? How to support bilingual education in Finland? How to strengthen the immersion programmes in Finland? How to build bilingual schools in Finnish and Swedish? How to support the multilingualism of migrants in Finland?

Thank you for your attention!