– School management and the Directorate of Education should make arrangements so that the children can follow a life course in Kven, says director of the Kvensk Institute Hilde Skanke. She is concerned that there are so many obstacles in women’s education that prevent students from completing the subject. The concern is shared by the Norwegian Directorate of Education. It’s important to focus on the young In the Kven section of Bærtua nursery school in Lakselv in Finnmark, the children are preparing for the Kven people’s day when news Kvensk visits the department. The children will make women’s flags to celebrate. – Mikä flaku täma oon? asks kindergarten teacher Grethe Johansen as she raises the women’s flag. Here at the department, almost only Swedish is spoken with the children, as the only place in the country. Several of the staff at the Kven department have grown up with Kven as their home language. Here is from ve. Edel Skogen Andersen, Maija Lindbäck, Grethe Johansen and Krister Thorsen. Photo: Laila Lanes / news The authorities agree that it is important to focus on the small and young if the Kven language is to be saved. That is why various measures are currently implemented for children and young people. This happens especially in kindergartens in Troms and Finnmark, which are the only counties in the country where the Education Act gives children the right to be taught in Kven or Finnish at school. In Bærtua, they have worked for five years to teach the little ones the language that many grandparents still speak. Språkreiret, as it is called, is financed by the Kven Institute. In addition, the Norwegian Directorate of Education has for several years invested in Swedish in many kindergartens. Through so-called language showers, the children learn about Swedish culture and also words and phrases, but Swedish is not spoken here all the time. Meeting challenges at school But when the children enter school, the challenges begin, challenges that lead to many dropping out. This happens especially in junior high and upper secondary schools. In 2022, 48 pupils received instruction in Kven, according to the Norwegian Directorate of Education. Educational leader Maija Lindbäck at Bærtua nursery school has three sons herself who have learned a little Swedish. Her ten-year-old has had Swedish in kindergarten, he is now in primary school and is motivated to learn the language. – I think it comes from his mastery of the language. He has the motivation up and we want him to continue with that, she says. But the 15-year-old who goes to secondary school has it worse. He lost his motivation. – There was simply a lack of teachers. There were many cancellations of women’s education. Liss Renate Fredriksen has a nine-year-old son who struggles with motivation. – He keeps coming home and saying that the class is canceled and that they have to be in the Norwegian class and then there is no point in going to Swedish. They think it’s sad. Maija Lindbäck and Liss Renate Fredriksen have children at school who take Swedish and experience that there are often irregularities with the teaching. Photo: Laila Lanes / news Porsanger municipality now has a good teacher base in Lakselv, but most are older and approaching retirement age. And there are not many younger people to take over. It can also be difficult to find a replacement in case of absence at short notice. In many municipalities, interest in learning Swedish at school has not been that great so far, but it is increasing. This is shown by a survey carried out by news. But many municipalities instead offer Finnish as the only option. This applies, for example, to the Kven capital Vadsø, which now has a number of children learning Kven in kindergarten. There is also little interest among teachers in further education in Kven, despite the fact that there are scholarship schemes. This is shown by a survey carried out by news Kvensk in several of the municipalities with a Kven population. Not Swedish in upper secondary school Elisabeth Eieland is one of those who started in Swedish, but has opted out. She spoke Kven in primary school from 1st grade to 7th grade and wanted to continue learning the language in secondary school. But it became difficult to get the timetable up. By choosing Swedish, she had to have done other subjects at home, and that would have given her a lot of extra work after school. Now she attends Lakselv upper secondary school and here she has not been offered women’s education. – If it had been Swedish in high school I would have taken it, she says and explains that she could have chosen it instead of another language subject. Instead, she is now studying Sami. Elisabeth Eieland opted out of Swedish in secondary school because it was not possible to adapt a timetable she was satisfied with. Photo: Laila Lanes / news No upper secondary schools in Troms and Finnmark teach Swedish today. news Kvensk also knows of students who do not choose Kven in upper secondary school because they have had such unstable teaching and feel that they have learned so little in primary and secondary school. – Sad that the language is disappearing Elisabeth’s grandmother speaks Swedish, and now her mother, Inger Lise Eieland, has also started to learn the language. At the office of the Norwegian Sports Association in Lakselv, where she works, there are post-it notes that will make her repeat the Swedish the words and learn them. – It is no secret that it is I who have decided that my children should have Swedish when they start primary school. It is about the fact that I come from a Swedish family, a Swedish area, and have grown up with everyone around me speaking Swedish. But we children were not allowed to learn the language. Inger Lise Eieland is learning Swedish, the language she grew up with. Now she speaks a little Swedish at home with her daughter Elisabeth and her son, who is learning Swedish at school. Photo: Laila Lanes / news She thinks it’s sad that Elisabeth didn’t want to continue because it got so complicated, the Kven language has been a big part of their family. – Arrangements must be made. She understands that the schools have problems getting teachers. – I understand that it is not easy for the school administration to make it happen. It’s a bit sad, because if it’s a language that we’re going to try to preserve, then it’s a bit important that we make it work in school. Managing director Hilde Skanke at Kvensk institute Hilde Skanke says she understands that students choose Kvensk. The general manager at Kvensk institute, Hilde Skanke, believes that students must have a safer course at school if they are to complete their women’s education. Photo: Laila Lanes / news – Especially when you enter secondary school and have to choose between electives football and Kven, then the choice is clear. Or that you get Swedish in the last lesson while the others can go home. It is a huge challenge, she says. She believes that both school management and other school authorities must make better arrangements, a race must be organized for those who want to learn Swedish. Scholarship schemes for students are also too bad, she believes. – It would have been desirable to have the same scholarship scheme as Sami because it can motivate and give that little extra that makes the students ready for college and university for schooling in Kven. Maija Lindbäck has no doubt that the authorities must be stronger on the field. – We must get education covered, we must have more kindergarten teachers and teachers in schools. It simply needs money, she says. Shares the concern – We share the concern that the number of pupils is low and declining, says Maria Grythaugen. She is a senior adviser in the department for kindergarten and school development in the Norwegian Directorate of Education. She points out that the lack of teachers is one of the reasons why children and pupils do not have their rights in the subject fulfilled today. A lot of effort is put into many kindergartens, partly because of the money they grant, she says. Senior advisor in the Directorate of Education Maria Grythaugen. Photo: Norwegian Directorate of Education – We agree with Hilde Skanke at Kvensk Institute that it is important that these children have the opportunity to continue learning Kven when they start school. In order to solve the difficult situation, the Norwegian Directorate of Education has initiated several measures in various areas, which they hope will in the long run improve the situation somewhat. This applies, among other things, to the development of learning resources and increasing competence in Swedish in primary school. – It is very positive that there is such a great commitment to the subject and that the focus is on areas for improvement. We are open to input and try to adjust our measures so that they are more effective.
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Many obstacles in women’s education lead to students dropping out – news Kveeni
