Your right to learn your mother tongue in compulsory school
If you have a mother tongue other than Swedish, you may be entitled to mother tongue tuition from Year 1 of compulsory school, compulsory school for pupils with intellectual disabilities, compulsory special needs school or Sami school. If you belong to a national minority, you have a special right to study your mother tongue.
Your mother tongue is often the language(s) that you learn first, when you are a young child. You may have more than one mother tongue, but in most cases you are only entitled to be taught one mother tongue in school.
There are several advantages to studying a mother tongue. You learn a language and the culture associated with it. Knowing your mother tongue can also help you become better at Swedish, other languages and other subjects. Language skills are also in demand in working life.
Who is entitled to mother tongue tuition?
The right to mother tongue tuition differs depending on whether the language in question is a national minority language or some other mother tongue.
Mother tongue that is not a national minority language
If you are attending compulsory school, compulsory school for pupils with intellectual disabilities, compulsory special needs school or Sami school, the school must offer tuition in a mother tongue that is not a national minority language if
- one or both of your guardians have a language other than Swedish as their mother tongue
- you usually speak that language at home
- you have basic knowledge of the language.
The school organiser must also offer mother tongue tuition if you are adopted and Swedish is not your mother tongue. This applies even if you do not usually speak that language at home, but you must have basic knowledge of the language. The school organiser is the municipality for municipal schools and the school board for independent schools.
The organiser only needs to provide mother tongue tuition in a language if
- there are at least five pupils entitled to be taught the language
- these pupils want to be taught the language
- a suitable teacher is available.
If the headteacher is unable to find a teacher who can teach on site, the school may offer distance learning. If you are receiving mother tongue tuition, you may continue receiving tuition even if you stop speaking the language at home. If you study your mother tongue in compulsory school, you have a better chance of continuing to study that language in upper secondary school.
Distance learning, skolverket.se
Mother tongue that is a national minority language
If you belong to one of the national minorities, you have a special right to mother tongue tuition. There is no requirement for you to speak the language at home or to have any knowledge of the language. The national minority languages are Finnish, Yiddish, Meänkieli, Romani Chib and Sami.
The organiser needs to provide mother tongue tuition in these languages if
- one pupil wants to be taught (there is no requirement for five pupils)
- a suitable teacher is available.
If the headteacher is unable to find a teacher who can teach on site, the school may offer distance learning.
If you belong to the Roma national minority and come from another country, you can receive mother tongue tuition in two languages if there are special grounds for this.
If you study your mother tongue in compulsory school, you have a better chance of continuing to study that language in upper secondary school.
Distance learning, skolverket.se
When can I start studying my mother tongue, and for how long?
You can start studying your mother tongue throughout your time in compulsory school, compulsory school for pupils with intellectual disabilities, compulsory special needs school or Sami school. Your guardian can contact a teacher or the headteacher of the school to find out more about how to apply to study your mother tongue. The headteacher will decide whether you can study your mother tongue.
If you receive mother tongue tuition outside your normal class time, the organiser is obliged to offer the tuition during the seven academic years of your schooling. You have the right to study your mother tongue for more than seven academic years if your mother tongue is a Nordic language, a national minority language or if you have a special need for mother tongue tuition.
Grades and merit rating
You apply to upper secondary school with your merit rating from compulsory school. The merit rating is the sum of the grade values of the 16 best grades of your final grades. If you are studying your mother tongue, your grade for this can replace another grade when you apply to upper secondary school. This is done automatically during the upper secondary school admissions process.
Different ways to study your mother tongue
There are different ways to study your mother tongue at school. Each of these different ways has advantages and disadvantages.
Mother tongue outside your normal class time
You may be given the opportunity to study your mother tongue outside your normal class time. This may make your school days a little longer, but when you start Year 6, you can also begin learning one of the modern languages offered, such as Spanish, French or German.
Mother tongue during your normal class time
If you choose to study your mother tongue as part of your regular schedule, you will study your mother tongue as your language choice instead of choosing one of the modern languages to study. In such case, you will study your mother tongue as a separate subject with its own course syllabus. With this option, your school day is not made longer. One disadvantage is that you then do not get the chance to learn one of the modern languages, i.e. Spanish, French or German.
Studying a modern language as your language choice gives you points towards your merit rating that can help you secure a place in the upper secondary programme of your choice. However, you will not receive these points if you choose your mother tongue as your language choice. So there may be a disadvantage to studying your mother tongue as your language choice.
You can also study your mother tongue within the framework of what is known as the school's choice.
Language choice in compulsory school
English as a mother tongue
English is a compulsory subject for all pupils, but it is also possible to study English as a mother tongue. English and mother tongue English are two different subjects with different course syllabuses.