Finnish Schoolchildren Studying Fewer Foreign Languages

Spanish is the only language to attract more pupils at Finnish comprehensive and high schools during the past decade, but in recent years the number of students has levelled off.

A quarter-century ago, all high schools students were required to study two foreign languages along with the two national languages of Finnish and Swedish -- and many took a fifth language voluntarily.

However in the past decade, studies of foreign tongues besides English have slumped. In 2008, more than 40 percent of academic high school graduates had not studied any extra language.

Interpreting the World

Experts say that the young Finns' diminished palette of languages poses a major problem in working life, where English is not enough. For instance, a study commissioned by the European Commission showed that a lack of linguistic skills translates directly into losses for corporations.

"Language skills help us to form our image of the world, understand other cultures and interpret them," observes Anna-Kaisa Mustaparta, Counsellor of Education at the National Board of Education.

In the mid-1990s, nearly half of all secondary-school pupils opted for at least one extra so-called 'short-course' language voluntarily. By 2008, that figured had declined to 14 percent, while fewer were also taking more in-depth 'long-course' language studies.

According to Mustaparta, the biggest reasons for the paucity of language studies are the dominant position of English and changes in curriculum requirements. She has hopes that a new curriculum plan, which is under preparation, will help improve the situation somewhat.