Rising Diversity in Finnish Schools: Kirstin School Leads the Way in Integration
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The number of students with a non-Finnish background is rapidly increasing across the Helsinki metropolitan area,with Kirstin school in Espoo reporting 92% of its student body identifying as having a mother tongue other than Finnish,Swedish,or Sami. This demographic shift presents both opportunities and challenges, and Kirstin School’s approach to fostering inclusivity and preventing segregation is drawing attention from educators nationwide.
According to school principal Pauliina Pertamo, the increasing prevalence of English among children is hindering the acquisition of Finnish language skills. “In recent years,English has begun to dominate children’s interactions,and this is visible as a factor hindering the learning of Finnish,” Pertamo explains. However, Kirstin School is proactively addressing this issue and other potential pitfalls of segregation through a focus on community, flexible teaching arrangements, and language-aware pedagogy.
The Growing Diversity of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area
The trend of increasing linguistic diversity is not unique to Kirstin School. Across the Helsinki metropolitan area, schools are seeing a significant rise in students from diverse linguistic backgrounds. In Espoo, approximately 32% of students speak a language other than Finnish, Swedish, or Sami at home.Currently,eight schools within the city have a student population where over half are classified as having a non-Finnish mother tongue.
Kirstin School,located in the Suvela district of Espoo,stands out as the most linguistically diverse,with 92% of its approximately 450 students speaking one of 55 different mother tongues,including Finnish and Swedish. Albanian is the most common.
Language-Aware Pedagogy
Kirstin School’s approach centers on recognizing and valuing the linguistic diversity of its students. Teachers are encouraged to incorporate students’ mother tongues into learning activities whenever possible. The school actively incorporates students’ linguistic backgrounds, even teaching greetings in the numerous languages spoken by the student body. Recognizing and valuing students’ existing linguistic skills is seen as crucial for fostering engagement and a sense of belonging.
Collaboration with Families
Recognizing that school is frequently enough the first point of contact with Finnish society for many families, Kirstin School prioritizes close collaboration with parents. Teachers hold meetings to explain the structure of the Finnish basic education system and its learning objectives.
The school believes a genuinely multicultural environment is a valuable asset for students’ future careers. “When a child has learned to function in different cultural environments,it has a huge impact later in life,” Pertamo says.
A Model for a Changing Finland
Pertamo’s message to other schools rapidly becoming more internationalized across the Helsinki metropolitan area and throughout Finland is clear: embrace diversity. “I would advise welcoming all children with open arms.Our children are all really lovely and open.multiculturalism is genuinely a richness in the school,as it certainly is elsewhere.”
She emphasizes that embracing multiculturalism requires action, not fear. “It challenges the professional skills of the teacher in a positive way, but also enriches the entire school community.” Pertamo also stresses the importance of continued resource allocation to schools with high proportions of non-Finnish speaking students. “We have a little more money for staff, and that is an absolutely essential thing. Without it, we would not be able to function as well as we do.”
Addressing segregation requires a systemic approach, including adjustments to school catchment areas and housing policies. Pertamo points out that the emergence of schools with over 90% non-Finnish speaking student populations creates an imbalance, lacking a strong model of Finnish language and culture. She believes that integrating more Finnish-speaking students into these schools would benefit all students, strengthening the Finnish language skills of those learning it as a second language.
Pertamo, who has worked at Kirstin School for 30 years, has witnessed its change from a predominantly Finnish-speaking school to a multicultural learning environment. She recalls that when the proportion of non-Finnish speaking students exceeded 40-50%, some Finnish-speaking parents began considering other schools.
Ultimately, Pertamo believes that fostering inclusivity and celebrating diversity are not just educational imperatives, but essential components of preparing students for a globalized future. “Multiculturalism is something you learn by doing, and you shouldn’t be afraid of it,” she concludes.
