The children receive more hours of mother tongue teaching.
- They read three hours a week, but it's not just the three hours, the cultures also become visible at the school, for example with the lávvun that we have here in the schoolyard, says Nils-Bertil Heikka, method developer in Luleå Municipality.
Behind this investment is a long commitment of the Sami, Finnish and Meänkieli associations in the area and the municipality's strategy for the minority languages.
Continuation of preschool investment
For a few years there has been a bilingual preschool for the national minority languages in Luleå.
Now the children at that preschool and all other children in Luleå municipality have the opportunity to apply to what is known as the language node.
It starts with preschool class and will be expanded in step with the age of the first students.
- The background is the vision for 2018 that the board took, and there we said that we should continue to develop the language even when you come to school, says Marit Enbuske, head of school in Luleå municipality.
Only two students right now
Despite the fact that at the start of school this fall, there are only two students starting in the language node's pre-school class, Luleå municipality's head of school is not discouraged.
- I think it will be like the preschool we started a few years ago.
Not everyone knew about it at first, so we need to promote this.
Since we now start in preschool class and gradually increase to 1-3 and 4-6, I think there will be more students who choose this, says Marit Enbuske.