The status of Sámi languages and Nordic educational cooperation to be advanced with funding from the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture
With this funding, the Giellagas Institute will implement a project during 2025–2027 aimed at strengthening the status of Sámi languages in the Nordic countries. The teacher network created in the project will address the resource shortages that affect all universities offering Sámi language education and Sámi-language teacher training. This collaboration will enable the development of new operational models and the sharing of knowledge across the Nordic region. The Ministry of Education and Culture has allocated 328,860 euros for the project.
The project is led by the Giellagas Institute at the University of Oulu, with partners including the Faculty of Education at the University of Lapland, the Arctic University of Norway (UiT), and Sámi allaskuvla, the Sámi University of Applied Sciences in Norway. The Sámi Parliament of Finland will support the project in matters of educational policy. Additionally, the Sámi Education Institute will be involved in implementing the pilot programme.
The primary goals of the project include piloting Sámi-language educational cooperation and delivering teaching in a digital learning environment.
“The unique characteristics of teaching endangered Sámi languages challenge us to develop special pedagogical methods and teaching materials for teaching Sámi reading and writing skills. The aim is to establish a network of Sámi language teachers in collaboration with other universities. This network will gain experience in designing and implementing joint study modules, as well as understanding their potential and challenges,” says Sigga-Marja Magga, Director of the Giellagas Institute at the University of Oulu.
The project will pilot a 15-credit module on the didactics of Sámi as a second and foreign language. The educational pilot targets subject teachers of Sámi languages, Sámi-speaking primary school teachers, and those studying to become such teachers in the Nordic countries. The instruction will be delivered as blended online teaching suitable for joint Nordic education. In Finland, the pilot program will be integrated into the Open University pathway offerings and made available to students in universities of applied sciences.
The pilot will also provide opportunities to develop digital learning environments and online teaching collaboration. At the same time, the strengths and challenges of online teaching in Sámi-language education will be assessed.
The experiences gained during the project will be documented in a scientific article, which will contribute to a deeper understanding of the opportunities and challenges in Sámi-language higher education. The project also aims to promote the vitality of Sámi languages and other Indigenous minority languages through higher education.