Aalto University has announced its intention to revise its language-related guidelines, placing greater emphasis on teaching in Finnish and Swedish in response to recent criticism regarding the prevalence of English language instruction.
University officials said they have been formulating a new policy over the summer stipulating that all core and mandatory courses in each Finnish-language programme should be conducted in Finnish, unless otherwise agreed upon by the instructor and students. Furthermore, technology and art courses will be required to offer the option of instruction in Swedish.
For programmes conducted in Finnish and Swedish, theses will in principle need to be written in the respective language, with guidance provided in that language. Conversely, programmes conducted in English will require theses to be composed in English, with guidance also provided in English.
The implementation of these changes is expected to take place between 2024 and 2026, pending review and approval by the Academic Affairs Board (AAC).
"We will analyse and evaluate the teaching on a course-by-course basis. Some changes may possibly come earlier, but solutions need to be planned," the university's Vice President for Education Petri Suomala told Yle.
Changes against the backdrop of a 2021 complaint
These changes are being made in response to a complaint filed by students at the university in October 2021, which criticised the dominance of Englishlanguage instruction.
The complaint was particularly focused on finance studies and pointed out that these were not available in Finnish at the master's level. It also highlighted that the Bachelor of Finance degree was no longer primarily taught in Finnish.
As a result of the complaint, the Deputy Chancellor of Justice requested a report from the university on the availability of courses in Finnish and Swedish in bachelor's and master's degree programmes, especially in fields such as business, engineering, and architecture.
The report submitted by Aalto University indicated that slightly more than 5 percent of master's level courses in economics and around 10 percent of technology master's programs were taught in Finnish.
Despite the university's policy stating that bachelor's programmes were mainly offered in Finnish and Swedish, the study found that only about 40 percent of the courses in the Finnish-language Bachelor of Business Administration programs were actually taught in Finnish.
English "beneficial for international competition"
Despite the new policy's added focus on Finnish and Swedish, Petri Suomala told Yle he believed in the value of English teaching, especially for students interested in an international career. He further noted that the university would continue to explore options for multilingual teaching.
"It is a balancing act. At the same time, it is our task to ensure that the university community is involved and competitive on the international stage. International languages also play an important role in preparing students for their professional lives," he said.
However, Suomala added that the university remained committed to upholding the law and the status of Finnish and Swedish as the country's official languages.
"We must respect Finland's national languages, Finnish and Swedish, so that they remain alive and usable in science and education."
Edit note: Headline changed at 3:31pm on 1 September to clarify that the planned cutbacks are for courses offered in English, not the teaching of the English language.
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