Officials in Vantaa, just north of Helsinki, have been surprised by the growth in the number of Estonian pupils. Around 100 more immigrant pupils from Estonia are enrolled in the city's schools than were last spring. Altogether, there are some 400 Estonian children in classrooms in Vantaa.

"It came as a complete surprise when we started preparing teaching plans during the spring. New children are arriving week by week. For example, last week one teacher got six more new Estonian pupils," says Vantaa's education manager, Eero Väätäinen.

Much the same is being seen in Helsinki. The Latokartano elementary school, which offers Estonian-language instruction, received more applications this autumn than ever before.

In Vantaa, officials believe that the influx of new pupils reflects the economic situation. Väätäinen has heard that some parents say that they have immigrated because of rising price levels in Estonia. Estonian language teacher Ülle Pöör is inclined to see unemployment as the cause.

"It is apparently a result of the employment situation. There are not many jobs in Estonia," says Pöör.

Unforeseen costs

More foreign pupils also means more pressure on local governments to provide foreign-language lessons in schools. At present, 70 percent of local governments have made arrangements for schoolchildren to get instruction in their own mother tongues.

The state provides funding that covers around four-fifths of costs. However, in areas with a diverse ethnic population, local governments are finding that the remaining one-fifth can be a hefty sum. According to Väätäinen, the costs of providing this teaching are significantly higher than the 25 euros per lesson that the state uses in its calculations.

"The funding that comes back to us does not nearly meet what the teaching costs. In Vantaa we have decided to meet the costs and to work for a change in the state system during the term of the present government," explains Väätäinen.

The latest government draft budget does not include an increase in funds earmarked for this purpose.

Schools in Finland provide lessons to children in 50 different languages. It has been found that language instruction given to children to help them preserve and retain their own mother tongue boosts overall success in school.