Declaration of the JYU Language Campus: Saving on mother tongue and A2 language teaching is short-sighted decision making

Declaration of the University of Jyväskylä Language Campus 3.9.2024

To the City of Jyväskylä Board of Education

Saving on mother tongue and A2 language teaching is short-sighted decision making

 The City of Jyväskylä's Board of Education is proposing, as one of the measures to cut spending, to reduce or even abolish the teaching of heritage language and A2 languages after the 2024-2025 academic year. We language researchers and educators of teachers at the University of Jyväskylä strongly oppose these very short-sighted plans. We know that cutting the teaching of one’s own mother tongue and A2 languages is detrimental to pupils, to Jyväskylä and to the whole region of Central Finland.

The benefits of heritage language teaching (a.k.a. teaching one's own mother tongue) have been proven in numerous studies: it promotes school success, Finnish language learning and the development of a multilingual identity. Providing mother tongue education and supporting pupils' multilingualism is also in line with the basics of the education curriculum. Supporting pupils' own mother tongue also strengthens social and educational equality and promotes well-being. Politically and financially, there is no coherent justification for cutting these important services, and the savings made now could be multiplied many times over in future expenditure. At a time when Finnish society is concerned about the dwindling language resources, it is contradictory to squander the linguistic resources that multilingual children can use to enrich the human capital and economy of the region in the future. 

Equally, saving on A2 language teaching is short-sighted. Language learning has been in decline for decades and there is genuine cause for concern. Soon we will be in a situation where Finnish-speaking children and young people will only know English and Swedish in addition to their mother tongue. Even these skills often fall short of the target, especially if the environment sends the message that varied and early language learning is not worthwhile. Developing language skills takes time, which is why A2 language teaching, which starts in primary school, has an important role to play in ensuring that individuals have years of language learning time in basic education. With fewer and fewer languages being studied, A2 is the language that will make an individual stand out in a job search, for example. A recent study shows that children and young people are interested in learning languages, but if education providers do not offer language teaching, there is no opportunity to develop language skills. In the current global political climate, Finland cannot afford to rely on a narrow language pool: we will continue to need a diverse pool of people with a high level of language proficiency. 

All in all, a wide range of language skills opens new doors in studying, working life and also in the free time. Languages are part of the education for democracy, which is crucial in today's society. Language skills are also key to wider inclusion and participation, as they help to socialise and build a democratic and equal society and education. A wide range of language skills and the opportunities they offer cannot be the property of the few, but belong to all. It is the responsibility of the education provider to promote equal opportunities for children and young people to learn and to prepare them well for life.

As a regional centre, Jyväskylä should be the pioneer of Central Finland, but in recent years the city has not distinguished itself as the education capital of the region. It is clear that Jyväskylä needs experts with language and international skills, but without mother tongue and A2 language teaching, the city risks becoming a backwater of (language) education, which will not attract families with children. Moreover, given the expected increase in immigration in Finland, more investment will be needed in the future in mother-tongue teaching and other support services for minorities. The planned cuts will not create savings and will not build a sustainable future. 

On behalf of the researchers and teachers of the University of Jyväskylä Language Campus

Erja Kilpeläinen

Coordinator of the Finnish Network for Language Education Policies

Katja Mäntylä

Chair of the Language Campus

Marko Siitonen

Head of the Department of Language and Communications Studies

Ari Huhta

Head of the Centre for Applied Language Studies

Mirja Tarnanen

Vice Dean of the Faculty of Education and Psychology

Anne Pitkänen-Huhta

Vice Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences