Session Information
09 SES 09 C, Language Competencies in Different Cultural and Systemic Frames
Paper Session
Contribution
The administration of Finland is bilingual by law. All Acts are made and published in both Finnish and Swedish, and all regulations and decrees are also issued in both languages, meaning that both language versions are equal. Linguistic rights are guaranteed in the Constitution, according to which the national languages of Finland are Finnish and Swedish. As such, public authorities are required to provide for the cultural and societal needs of Finnish- and Swedish-speaking populations on an equal basis. This means that the languages are formally equal.
For the Swedish-speaking population in Finland, the right to day-care and education in their own language is a prerequisite for keeping the language and culture alive. This is ensured by a separate Swedish education authority, which is equal to the corresponding Finnish-language authority. Post-comprehensive education is also available in Swedish at upper secondary schools, vocational colleges and high schools. Higher education is provided by universities, of which there are both unilingual Swedish and bilingual ones available. The two Swedish-language universities are the Swedish School of Economics and Business Administration and Åbo Akademi. The largest university in Finland, the University of Helsinki, is bilingual.
The Finnish Education Evaluation Council serves as an expert body for educational evaluation in connection with the Ministry of Education and Culture. The evaluation of the council promotes educational equality and is based on fairness and truthfulness. The evaluation of the council is independent, involves active participation, aims at quality, is based on openness, promotes development and is efficient and economical. Itseeks to acquire and analyze data in order to provide a basis for national education policy and local decision-making as well as for educational development. In addition, it aims to support students’ learning, the work of educational personnel, and the development of educational institutes.
To maintain service equally for both of the languages is a challenge. The Finnish Education Evaluation Council has for ten years evaluated the Finnish schools and most of the evaluations have had a Swedish analysis and Swedish text. These texts of the Swedish schools have been limited, though and as we head for major changes such as a curriculum-reform it is important to have as good a picture of the field as possible. Learning results among Swedish speaking students differ from those of the Finnish. Structural changes will take place in the country; bigger municipalities are created and schools will be affected by that. The national evaluation-processes are under reform.
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
-Svedlin, R. , Engelholm, ML., Karlberg-Granlund, G., Kupiainen, S., Sundqvist, R. Wallen, B., Hietala, R. & Smeds-Nylund, A-S.(2013) Syntesutvärdering av den svenska skolan i Finland-kvalitet och jämlikhet. Rådet för utbildningsutvärdering: Jyväskylä. -Relevant educational laws, www.finlex.fi -The Finnish Education Evaluation Council, www.edev.fi -Reports from the Finnish Education Evaluation Council, www.edev.fi, RUU 12:2005, RUU 15:2006, RUU 16:2006, RUU 17:2006, RUU 30:2008, RUU 40:2009, RUU 41:2009, RUU 42:2009, RUU 43:2009, RUU 52:2010, RUU 53:2010, RUU 54:2011, RUU 55:2011, RUU 56:2011, RUU 58:2012, RUU 59:2012, RUU 60:2012 -Reports from the Finnish National Board of Education, www.oph.fi, UBS 1/1999 , UBS 2/1999 , UBS 10/2001 , UBS 1/2002 , UBS 8/2002 , UBS 1/2004 , UBS 5/2003 , UBS 2/2005 , UBS 2/2006 , UBS 7/2006 , UBS 8/2006 , UBS 1/2008 , UBS 2/2008 , UBS 4/2008 , UBS 1/2010 , UBS 2/2010 , UBS 1/2011 , UBS 2/2011 , UBS 6/2011 , UBS 1/2012 , UBS 2/2012 , UBS 3/2012 , UBS 4/2012 , UBS 5/2012
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