Mother tongue and home language instruction

Students can enrol in mother tongue instruction when enrolling in 1st grade. In other grades, enrolment is open twice a year; in April–May for the next school year and in November–December for the spring semester. Enrol the child via Wilma under ‘Ilmoittautuminen oman äidinkielen opetukseen’ (enrolment in mother tongue instruction) or by filling out a paper form and submitting it to the administrative assistant of the student’s school.

Students moving to Helsinki at the beginning of the school year or the beginning of the spring semester can enrol in August and January. After enrolment, the parent or guardian will be instructed to ask the school’s administrative assistant for the timetable for the language instruction. Enrolment is valid for one school year, and the student needs to enrol in mother tongue instruction every year.

The studies are intended for students studying at schools of the City of Helsinki. Students at private schools operating under an agreement with the City of Helsinki, Helsinki Normal Lyceum and Viikki Teacher Training School can also enrol in the studies. The studies are available to:

• multilingual students whose mother tongue or home language is not Finnish or Swedish

• students whose home language or mother tongue is Swedish and who attend Finnish-language comprehensive education

• students whose family speaks Romani

• students whose family speaks Sámi

• students returning to Finland from another country in which they have learned a foreign language.

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.