The University of Helsinki’s Faculty of Arts is involved in a project that has received €500,000 of discretionary government funding from the Ministry of Education and Culture. The project is developing the quality and accessibility of university degree education in German, French and Russian. The funding will cover the period from 1 January 2025 to 31 July 2028.
The project coordinator is the University of Jyväskylä, with the other participants including the universities of Helsinki, Eastern Finland, Oulu, Tampere and Turku as well as Åbo Akademi University.
Professor of German Leena Kolehmainen of the Faculty of Arts, who contributed to drafting the funding application, is pleased.
“I’m happy and proud that the University of Helsinki has played an important role in this innovative project from its very beginning. I have high hopes for this national university collaboration, which will allow us to influence the future of language expertise in Finland.”
Securing a versatile language reserve
Teaching in foreign languages other than English has declined dramatically in Finnish schools, and the associated social and regional inequalities are concerning. Ultimately, solutions in individual municipalities and schools along the education path negatively affect higher education too.
The solutions developed in the Ministry-funded project will ensure that Finland has sufficient trained experts in foreign languages and cultures in the coming years as well.
“The shrinking range of foreign language skills is a social problem, as it hinders regional, social, professional, economic and cultural development,” notes Kolehmainen.
She believes that versatile linguistic and cultural expertise is critical for Finland’s comprehensive security as well. Language skills are part of our information and communication resilience, as they help ensure our society remains safe and functions effectively even in times of crisis and conflict.
Pedagogically ambitious solutions
The project will develop the participating universities’ curricula and admissions collaboration in the German, French and Russian languages. Teaching collaboration and shared, effective teaching practices will free up resources for research.
Moreover, the project will pilot a model enabling those without prior skills in German or French to commence university studies in these languages. The model is a significant national initiative, making academic education in the languages more accessible. The route requiring prior skills will also remain in place.
“We will set an example for how educational structures can be changed to better serve both Finnish society and international activities,” states Kolehmainen.