Vantaa provides teaching of a student’s own native tongue, home language and maintained language for two hours per week. Teaching a student’s own native tongue helps support the student’s thinking, linguistic skills and communications. It also helps create the basis for functional bilingualism and reinforces the student’s multi-cultural identity.
Native tongue or maintained language teaching is ...
Teaching of native tongue is available to
- students whose native tongue is not Finnish or Swedish
- students whose native tongue is Romani or Sami language
- students who are moving back to Finland from abroad and who have studied in a foreign language while staying abroad.
Compulsory education of a child who lives permanently in Finland begins in the year they turn seven. Compulsory education ends when the student reaches the age of 18 or if they complete an upper secondary qualification (matriculation examination or vocational qualification) or an equivalent foreign education before that.
The period of compulsory education may be extended due to a disability or illness. Adults may complete the basic education syllabus for example at a general upper secondary school for adults, a folk high school or an adult education centre.
The service is free of charge.