Right to one’s language and culture

The national languages of Finland are Finnish and Swedish. Approximately 91.2 per cent of the population have Finnish as their mother tongue, and about 5.5 per cent speak Swedish. Although the Swedish population is concentrated on the coast, Finnish and Swedish are equal languages throughout the country with respect to dealing with the authorities. The third of the languages Spoken in Finland is the indigenous language, Saami (Lappish), which is spoken by approximately 1,800 people (0.03 per cent of the population) as their mother tongue. The Saami-speaking population lives in the northernmost part of Finland, Lapland, and they have the right to receive services from society in their mother tongue.

The national languages are languages of instruction in educational institutions on all educational levels. Usually the institutions have either Finnish or Swedish as their languages of instruction, but there are upper secondary vocational institutions and universities which are bilingual. Saami is the language of instruction in some basic education, upper secondary general and vocational institutions on the Saami-speaking areas.

Members of the Saami population living in the northernmost parts of Finland are an indigenous people, and they have the right to maintain and develop their own language and culture. The Act on the Saami Parliament came into force on 1 January 1996. The Act guarantees the Saami-speaking population cultural autonomy concerning their language and culture. The Saami language can be the language of instruction in basic education as well as in general and vocational upper secondary education and training, and it can also be taught as the mother tongue or as a foreign language. In the four municipalities located in the Saami domicile area, pupils speaking the Saami language must primarily be provided with basic education in that language, should their parents so choose.

As Finnish citizens, the Roma are entitled to the same education as the majority population. In recent years, the educational level of the Roman has improved considerably, but, compared to the majority population, still remains low. The Romani language in Finland has the status of a non-territorial minority language. The Finnish Government has made it clear that it considers Finland's Roma community to be a national minority under the European Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities.