Challenges and solutions for the offer issue, teaching and ...€¦ · •A presentation of main suggestions of the inquiry Lainio has led on the educational challenges of NatMinLangs,

Challenges and solutions for the offer issue, teaching and teacher situation for national minority languages in Sweden

Tallinn, 17 May 2018

Professor Jarmo Lainio

Stockholm University

Content to be discussed • Challenges to provide mother tongue instruction in Sweden – what can an should be offered and what

can and should be demanded in language instruction?

• Two types of offer: one on paper and one in practice.

• Problems for teachers‘ everyday practices

• Problems of teaching conditions for Nat Min Langs

• A presentation of main suggestions of the inquiry Lainio has led on the educational challenges of NatMinLangs, and which was presented 2017-11-15 to the Minister of Education, Gustav Fridolin.

• The inquiry relates to the international critique presented to Sweden from the Council of Europe, as a result of the monitoring of the two minority and minority language conventions that Sweden ratified in 2000, the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (ECRML), and, the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM).

• This initiated the processing of the Language Act and the National Minorities and Minority Languages Act, both in force since 2010.

• From language maintenance and development to revitalization –how did we end up in this shift?

Jarmo Lainio, Stockholm University


Present conditions for teaching MTs*, but some variation among municipalities

• Low status and questioned by wide layers of society.

• The demand for instruction and the status of teachers have been negatively influenced by a host of factors.

• The availability of instruction has been influenced by poor information to caretakers about their rights.

• A low prioritation among school providers acknowledged in studies, needs remedy.

• Lack of teachers is referred to.

• Lack of demand is referred to.

• No equity between municipalities.

• Question mark for the pedagogical competence of school politicians at local level.

Problems for teachers and teaching

• Uncomfortable teaching hours (evenings).

• Average offer is one hour per week (study by Sisuradio).

• Very little bilingual teaching.

• Working conditions of teachers; sometimes as many as 20 schools to visit per week.

• No premises for teaching, classrooms.

• Difficult to plan and experience development with one hour per week.

• Poor planning and structure of teaching by schools.

• Inexistent or inadequate teaching materials

• Mix of beginners and speakers in the same classroom is dysfunctional.


Paradoxes

• Still, Sweden does provide and has long experience of home language/mother tongue teaching, meaning that it works in some municipalities.

• Swedish as a second language instruction is sometimes co-planned with MTI.

• Legislation is, in principle, supportive and gives a potential for providing feasible teaching and bilingual education.

• Again in principle, the acceptance of Nat Min Langs is by now rather widespread, even if knowledge is poor and unevenly distributed.

• Some regulations are favourable for Nat Min Langs compared to migrant languages


Legal support for mother tongue instruction and bilingual education in Sweden

National regulations

• School Act (2010:800),

• Language Act (2009:600),

• National Minorities and Minority Languages Act (2009:724)

International regulations

• ECRML (ratified 2000),

• FCNM (ratified 2000),

• The UN Rights of the Child, Art. 30


Administrative areas for Finnish, Meänkieli and Sami (Jan. 2018): 64 for Finnish, 7 for Meänkieli and 22 for Sami (Stockholm included in counts; visible in separate map: Länsstyrelsen i Stockholm)


Administrative areas for Finnish in the larger Stockholm region Sami being added, and Meänkieli under way to be accepted as well, as official minority languages in Stockholm (2018); Länsstyrelsen i Stockholm/County Board of Stockholm.


National minority languages in school – improved conditions for teaching and revitalisation

• Suggestions for improvement, according to SOU 2017:91,

• 15 November 2017, Ministry of Education, Stockholm

Utbildningsdepartementet

Jarmo Lainio, särskild utredare

Moa Nordin, utredningssekreterare

Sari Pesonen, utredningssekreterare



Challenges for the inquiry

• Statistical data flawed or missing about languages in general, and especially regarding national minority languages; no data on bilingual education. Available data not reliable.

• Lacking data or false information from providers of education (schools, municipalities) to caretakers about linguistic rights.

• A special commissioner shall map the need of measures to be taken referring to

• The Gov’s striving for the protection and revitalisation of national minority languages

• The critique launched by the CoE with regard to Sweden concerning education in national minority languages

• Map and evaluate whether measures need to be taken – and which in that case – in order to increase the access to teaching of the languages,

• Map and evaluate whether measures need to be taken – and which in that case – in order to increase the access to bilingual education in national minority languages

• suggest changes in legislation.

Directives U2016:116

Utbildningsdepartementet Jarmo Lainio, Stockholm University

Primary school and secondary school to be covered • Primary school (years 1-9)

• Special school

• Specialized school (grundsärskolan)

• Sami school

• Secondary school (years 10-12)

• Specialized school (gymnasiesärskolan)



General principles

• Development from language maintenance and language development to revitalisation a holistic view on language is needed, in public and private spheres

• Legislation in force normally concerns all national minority languages and in general, but there is a need to also clarify the language specific challenges and measures to be taken for each of the languages

• Equity for all


An unbroken chain of education from pre-school to higher education

• Is part of the holistic view, also for the national minority languages

• Compare, e.g. to Swedish in Finland, from pre-school to higher education in the language (also Welsh, Danish in Germany, Hungarian in Slovenia, etc.)


The conditions for the inquiry

• 5-6 months*

• In this presentation: Primary school (in the inquiry also corresponding school forms, and secondary education)

• Basic precondition in primary school: the majority of municipalities offer 40 min of mother tongue instruction per week, with some variation both downwards and upwards (20-80 minuter)

2018-06-01 Jarmo Lainio, Stockholm University 16 Utbildningsdepartementet

Figur 6.2 Antal elever berättigade i respektive nationellt minoritetsspråk inom grundskolan och sameskolan (SOU 2017:91) Läsåren 2001/02 – 2016/17

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

Finska

Jiddisch

Samiska

Romani chib

Meänkieli

Källa: Skolverket.



Figur 6.3 Antalet berättigade och deltagande elever i modersmålsundervisningen

i nationella minoritetsspråk i grundskolan inklusive sameskolan, läsåren 2001/02 – 2016/17 Klicka här för att ange underrubrik.

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

14000

16000

Berättigade DeltagareKälla: Skolverket



Figur 6.6 Utvecklingen av antalet elever i modersmålsundervisning i finska i grundskolan och motsvarande skolformer Läsåren 1994/95 – 2016/17 (källa Skolverket)

Jarmo Lainio, Stockholm University Utbildningsdepartementet 19

Figur 6.10 Utvecklingen för undervisningen i meänkieli som modersmål i grundskolan, 2001/02-2016/17

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

Berättigade Deltagare

Källa: Skolverket


Figur 6.12 Utvecklingen för undervisningen i romani chib inom ämnet modersmål i grundskolan Läsåren 2001/02-2016/17 (källa Skolverket)


Figur 6.14 Utvecklingen för undervisningen i samiska som ämne och som modersmål, Läsåren 2001/02-2016/17, grundskolan och sameskolan (källa Skolverket)


Tabell 6.6 Antal kommuner där berättigade rapporterats jämfört med kommuner där undervisning ges som modersmål läsåret 2016/17, /Reported eligible students per språk, grundskolan och sameskolan (Källa Skolverket)

Språk Antal kommuner där berättigade rapporteras (Entitled to receive instruction)

Antal kommuner där undervisning ges (Received instruction)

Andelen kommuner där berättigade rapporteras och undervisning ges

Finska 233 144 62%

Jiddisch 5 2 40%

Meänkieli 18 10 56%

Romani chib 138 43 31%

Samiska 62 44 71%


What decides the offer and demand of teaching the mother tongues?

• Lack of teachers,

• Lack of demand,

• Lack of information,

• Lack of functional conditions for teaching,

• Lack of willingness to arrange teaching?

Yes …all correct


Tabell 6.2 Förekomsten och typen av information om bestämmelserna om modersmålsundervisning i nationella minoritetsspråk i grundskolan på kommuners webbplatser. Uppgifterna är samlade under juli och augusti 2017 (Inom parentes = Tabell 6.4; grundsärskolan)

Antal kommuner Andel

Adekvat information om bestämmelser

48 (16) 17% (6%)

Bristfällig information om bestämmelser

120 (7) 41% (2%)

Information om modersmålsundervisning men inte relevant om bestämmelser

59 (6) 20% (2%)

Ingen information om modersmålsundervisning

63 (261) 22% (90%)

Jarmo Lainio, Stockholm University 2018-06-01 26 Utbildningsdepartementet

Tabell 8.1 Antal elever som läser nationella minoritetsspråk i grundskolan

och antal elever som har betyg i minst en kurs i gymnasieskolan

som modersmål och som moderna språk Läsåret 2016/17

Grundskola Gymnasieskola Grundskola Gymnasieskola

Modersmål Modersmål Moderna språk Moderna språk

Finska 4256 48 207 87

Jiddisch Färre än 5 - 25 -

Meänkieli 82 Färre än 5 13 Färre än 5

Romani chib 733 12 22 Färre än 5

Samiska 368 Färre än 5 40 16


Figur 11.2 Antal modersmålslärare i finska med och utan pedagogisk

högskoleexamen, läsåren 2013/14 – 2016/17 Antalet omfattar lärare i alla skolformer

0

50

100

150

200

250

2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17

Utan pedagogiskhögskoleexamen

Med pedagogiskhögskoleexamen

Källa: Skolverket



Tabell 9.2 Skolor och kommunal hemvist för tvåspråkig undervisning,

språk och årskurser (för samiska och finska)

Årskurserna som den

Skolenhet Språk tvåspråkiga

undervisningen omfattar

Gällivare sameskola samiska – svenska F-6

Jokkmokk sameskola samiska – svenska F-6

Karesuando sameskola samiska – svenska F-6

Kiruna sameskola samiska – svenska F-6

Tärnaby sameskola samiska – svenska F-6

Stålhamraskolan, Södertälje finska – svenska 1-6

Emausskolan, Västerås finska – svenska F-3

Vikingaskolan, Haninge finska – svenska F-2

Språkskolan, Haparanda finska – svenska F-9

Sverigefinska skolan i Kista finska – svenska F-5

Sverigefinska skolan i Botkyrka finska – svenska F-9

Sverigefinska skolan i Upplands Väsby finska – svenska F-9

Sverigefinska skolan i Stockholm finska – svenska F-9

Sverigefinska skolan i Eskilstuna finska – svenska F-6



Equitable conditions for education is a central goal

• All students in Sweden should according to the School Act have a right to receive equitable education, irrespective of where they live

• These conditions do not apply today for the reception of instruction in the national minority languages

• A guaranteed time of teaching is needed in the whole country.


1) A new subject is proposed – National minority language

• The subject needs to be differentiated from mother tongue as a subject; it has partly different aims (revitalisation)

• Separate status needs to be acknowledged and promoted

• Renewed and strengthened monitoring of teaching

• Better conditions for subject development and strengthened further training of teachers


2a and b) The subject needs to become part of the time plan and receive a guaranteed amount of teaching hours

• This means new regulations for teaching the national minority languages in the compulsory school forms.

• Some changes are also proposed for secondary education and the special secondary education.


Within the new subject

• Teaching of the subject as a first language

• Teaching of the subject as a second/foreign language

• No demand on the number of pupils (1 is enough in the municipality)

• Right to instruction and right to more equitable instruction in the national minority languages


Bilingual education

• Short-term and long-term solutions needed: initially the model of Sami integration for years 7-9 could be tried out for all five national minority languages, long-term needs regular bilingual education to be re-developed.

• Various types of teacher education programs are needed for teaching in and of national minority language, from pre-school to secondary school and mother tongue teachers

• Cooperation with the speakers needed with all groups


What happens if the proposals are not supported?

• Probable scenarios: • Probably Lule Sami, South Sami and Meänkieli as well as some

varieties of Romani chib will vanish from everyday use and as functional languages, in foreseeable time.

• Probably North Sami and Finnish will first be weakened, loose

domains and then be reduced to only oral use and knowledge, paralleled by a reduction of number of speakers and functional skills by speakers of the languages. In the long-term perspective, they will face the same development as is foreseen for the already severely threatened languages today.

Offer and demand, hesitant answers and good will in Swedish minority language policy… • Offer and demand, conditions

• Authorities do not follow the international conventions

• Arguments are sought in order NOT to offer instruction

• Authorities frequently do not follow national legislation

• Demand is sometimes scarce, nevertheless, but may be dependent on the ways authorities make known the rights of the families

• Teacher demand higher than availability

• Good will • National level and national legislation

is OK • Truncated at local level, i.e. neither

offerings nor answers to demand • Still, good examples of local initiatives

and offerings available

• Concerns revitalization, but not necessarily language development



Tack! Kiitos!

• Jarmo Lainio, special inquirer • Moa Nordin, secretary of inquiry

• Sari Pesonen, secretary of inquiry

Challenges and solutions for the offer issue, teaching and ...€¦ · •A presentation of main suggestions of the inquiry Lainio has led on the educational challenges of NatMinLangs,

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