Mother tongue and home language instruction (other than Finnish)

Mother tongue and home language instruction may be offered to pupils whose mother tongue or one of the languages actively used by the family is other than Finnish. Mother tongue instruction is complementary to basic education. Participation in instruction is voluntary, but the pupil must commit to it for one school year at a time.

A group for mother tongue instruction can be established, if at least four pupils in the same school or in nearby schools have registered for instruction and a suitable teacher can be recruited. There are two lessons per week and the lessons can be organised in some other school than the pupil’s own. The lessons are held after the pupil’s school day, and the guardians are responsible for any possible transport expenses. Groups and languages may vary from year to year. The purpose of mother tongue instruction is to support the pupil’s multilingualism and stimulate interest in the lifelong development of language skills. Mother tongue instruction also supports integration into Finnish society.