Finland: Helsinki school restricts use of mother tongue in classrooms

[Harold Schiffman]

Helsinki school restricts use of mother tongue in classrooms Education
Department overrules ban



The City of Helsinki Education Department has informed the Laakavuori
Comprehensive School in the capital's district of Mellunmäki that it
must not forbid its primary school pupils from speaking their native
languages during lessons. Until now, the school has recommended that
the pupils should use Finnish at school regardless of their own mother
tongue. Finnish has been spoken during lessons and at lunch, while
pupils have been free to use a language of their choice during breaks.

Headmaster Janne-Pekka Nurmi justifies the practice on pedagogical
grounds.  "It makes the learning of Finnish easier, which in turn
helps children to integrate into Finnish culture", Nurmi claims.  If
pupils are allowed to use their own languages, it tends to lead to
situations in which they interpret the teacher's instructions to each
other, while those with the weakest knowledge of Finnish cannot
improve their language skills at all, according to Nurmi. Marjo
Kyllönen from the Education Department regards the restriction of the
use of languges as a wrong approach to facilitating the integration of
immigrants.

      She reports having instructed the school's principal that the
improvement of the Finnish language has to be supported in some other
ways.  "Basically all pupils have the right to use their own mother
tongue, while it is up to the school to see that this does not lead to
alienation. When studying the Finnish language, it is naturally
recommendable to use Finnish", Kyllönen notes.  For the time being,
the City of Helsinki Education Department has no official policy
relating to the use of various native languages at school.

The view expressed by the Education Department persuaded the
Laakavuori Comprehensive School to soften its policy.
      "Primarily, we could stress to the parents how important it is
that Finnish would be used in these situations. They can then discuss
the matter with their children", says Janne-Pekka Nurmi.
      Nurmi agrees with the research results confirming that a good
command of one's mother tongue is beneficial when learning foreign
languages. He stresses that pupils are offered tuition both in Finnish
and in their own native language.
      "Six native languages are being taught at our school, while
numerous other languages are taught in some neighbouring schools",
Nurmi concludes.

There are 210 pupils in the Laakavuori School. The largest groups of
foreign origin are the Somali, Russian, Albanian, and Estonian
minorities.
      In Headmaster Nurmi's view the language recommendations given by
the Laakavuori Comprehensive School cannot be compared with the
current language dispute in Sweden (see linked article), as the
Helsinki school has not forbidden its pupils to use their native
languages during free time, including breaks.
      Finnish is an official minority language in Sweden. Last year, a
'Swedish only' decree at a certain office in the Uppsala City Social
Services Department led to a dispute that is now being handled by both
the Swedish Discrimination Ombudsman and the Council of Europe.

A family of four resident in Helsinki's district of Vesala, the
Kivinens - who speak only Russian at home - believe that pupils must
be allowed to use their native languages even at school.
      Otherwise their mother tongue could become rusty due to the lack
of use, they argue.

http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Helsinki+school+restricts+use+of+mother+tongue+in+classrooms+/1135232759666

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