Transcript WHY ENGLISH-LANGUAGE EDUCATION

SECOND UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION
ETHICAL FORUM, 16 OCTOBER 2003
UBIQUITOUS ENGLISH? THE EXTREME
CASE OF FINLAND
Anita Lehikoinen, Counsellor for Education
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
FINLAND
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
/Department for Education and Science Policy University Division/pmm/24.10.2003/1.
 HISTORICAL OVERVIEW
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20 + 29 HEIs - very national Finnish/Swedishsystem
First strategy for internationalisation of higher
education in the late 1980s
Quality of education (and research) and wider
provision of education
Student, teacher and staff exchanges were seen
as tools for internationalisation
Ambitious quantitative goals set for student
exchanges ― articulated as a number of
outgoing students
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
/Department for Education and Science Policy University Division/pmm/24.10.2003/2.
 WHY ENGLISH-LANGUAGE
EDUCATION
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For the benefit of international exchange students
and Finnish students
Non-degree students could not be expected to
know enough Finnish/Swedish
Clearly different approach to foreign degree
students - knowledge of Finnish/Swedish
required
First programmes in architecture, pulp and paper,
Northern Studies, Finnish Culture, Design
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
/Department for Education and Science Policy University Division/pmm/24.10.2003/3.
 UNIVERSITIES AND POLYTECHNICS
― TWO DIFFERENT APPROACHES
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Polytechnic system established in the 1990s
Internationalisation one of the key
objectives from the start
Needs of the working life
Competitive edge compared to universities
Degree programmes in English
A few programmes in German (with a little
success)
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
/Department for Education and Science Policy University Division/pmm/24.10.2003/4.
 SITUATION NOW
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5 - 10 % of all HE provision in English
English-language courses in all universities and
polytechnics
Most programmes in business and technology,
music, design, visual arts
c. 350 programmes altogether
Successful strategy: attractiveness of Finnish
higher education has increased
Balance reached by universities
Finland: the little Britain in Continental Europe
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
/Department for Education and Science Policy University Division/pmm/24.10.2003/5.
 NEW INTERNATIONALISATION
STRATEGY
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Internationalisation as a response to globalisation
Competition, labour market needs, demographic facts
More foreign degree students, teachers, staff
Programmes in the fields of HEIs expertise
Integration of foreign students in Finnish society after
studies
Every European country has the same strategy - what is
our niche?
Fee-free education
English-taught programmes
Quality through international cooperation
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
/Department for Education and Science Policy University Division/pmm/24.10.2003/6.
 THINGS TO (RE)CONSIDER
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Safeguarding HE provision in the national
languages
Language proficiency of teachers and
students
Integration of Finnish and international
students
Role of Finnish/Swedish for foreigners
What will happen to mobility in the Bologna
process?  Competitiveness of Finnish HE
Are we committing a linguistic suicide?
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
/Department for Education and Science Policy University Division/pmm/24.10.2003/7.
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DEFINITELY NOT!
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
/Department for Education and Science Policy University Division/pmm/24.10.2003/8.