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Hungarian and its status in education in Slovenia The Constitution of the Republic of Slovenia (Article 64) stipulates that in the ethnically mixed area of Prekmurje, Hungarian is recognised as an official language in addition to Slovene. This provision also implies the right to education in Hungarian as a first language (L1), which is provided by bilingual school programmes in kindergartens, and primary and secondary schools. All pupils, regardless of their nationality and L1, are grouped in common classes and lessons are taught in both languages. Slovene and Hungarian are both subjects and languages of instruction in all other subjects. Additionally, Hungarian can be studied at the Universities of Maribor and Ljubljana. Hungarian in educational research Research on bilingual education is conducted by the National Education Institute of Slovenia, as well as the Institute for Ethnic Studies in Ljubljana and its branch in Lendava/Lendva, the Institute for Educational Research in Ljubljana, and the Faculties of Arts at the Universities of Maribor and Ljubljana. Research institutes in Hungary often collaborate with Slovenian research institutes to conduct research on the Hungarian language and on other Hungarian ethnic community-related issues. These research projects also cover different aspects of bilingual education, in particular with regard to teacher competencies and the preparation of teaching materials. Prospects for Hungarian in Slovenia After more than 60 years of existence, bilingual education is proving its vitality and relevance to the linguistic needs of inhabitants of both nationalities in the ethnically mixed area of Prekmurje. The bilingual school continues to work for the maintenance and development of the Hungarian language and culture, and for the active participation of the two communities in the area and beyond. The further development of Hungarian in Slovenia, however, requires constant attention and support from the state, Hungarian and its status in education in Slovenia The Constitution of the Republic of Slovenia (Article 64) stipulates that in the ethnically mixed area of Prekmurje, Hungarian is recognised as an official language in addition to Slovene. This provision also implies the right to education in Hungarian as a first language (L1), which is provided by bilingual school programmes in kindergartens, and primary and secondary schools. All pupils, regardless of their nationality and L1, are grouped in common classes and lessons are taught in both languages. Slovene and Hungarian are both subjects and languages of instruction in all other subjects. Additionally, Hungarian can be studied at the Universities of Maribor and Ljubljana. Hungarian in educational research Research on bilingual education is conducted by the National Education Institute of Slovenia, as well as the Institute for Ethnic Studies in Ljubljana and its branch in Lendava/Lendva, the Institute for Educational Research in Ljubljana, and the Faculties of Arts at the Universities of Maribor and Ljubljana. Research institutes in Hungary often collaborate with Slovenian research institutes to conduct research on the Hungarian language and on other Hungarian ethnic community-related issues. These research projects also cover different aspects of bilingual education, in particular with regard to teacher competencies and the preparation of teaching materials. Prospects for Hungarian in Slovenia After more than 60 years of existence, bilingual education is proving its vitality and relevance to the linguistic needs of inhabitants of both nationalities in the ethnically mixed area of Prekmurje. The bilingual school continues to work for the maintenance and development of the Hungarian language and culture, and for the active participation of the two communities in the area and beyond. The further development of Hungarian in Slovenia, however, requires constant attention and suppo

Corsican and its status in education in France On the French island of Corsica, it is estimated that roughly a quarter to a third of the population can speak the Corsican language well, while over half can understand it. The language is officially recognised by the French Constitution as belonging to the heritage of France. Over the past 25 years, several laws, decrees, regulations, and policies have gradually strengthened the institutional support for the Corsican language. Today, French-Corsican bilingual education is most prevalent in pre-school (reaching 59% of all pre-school children in Corsica) and primary school (51%), dropping to 26% in lower secondary education (French: collège), after which bilingual education is virtually non-existent. Corsican is a mandatory subject in pre-school (3 hours per week) and primary school (typically 1.5–3 hours), while this is optional for students in secondary education and beyond (59% choose Corsican in lower secondary education and 13% in higher secondary education, with instruction for 3 hours per week). Corsican in educational research The University of Corsica in Corte offers a complete study programme that specialises in Corsican language and culture. Research projects are typically set up as collaborations between the University of Corsica and the National Higher Institute for Teaching and Education (Institut national supérieur de l’enseignement et de l’éducation – INSPE) in Corsica, and/or the National Centre for Scientific Research (Centre national de la recherche scientifique – CNRS). Important linguistic and sociolinguistic studies have focused on the polynomic character of the Corsican language, that is, the way in which language users accept and embrace linguistic variation as a feature of Corsican, avoiding imposed standardisation. The didactical implications of this phenomenon have also been the subject of educational research. Prospects for Corsican in France

Friulian and its status in education in Italy The Italian State approved Law 482/1999 to protect the many historical linguistic minorities that are present in its territory, including Friulian. Despite emphasising Italian as the official language of the Italian Republic, the law requires the teaching of minority languages in schools, among other provisions. Based on this State Law, the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia passed Regional Law 29/2007, which governs the presence of Friulian in education. Following a challenging law-making process, which saw the State Government firmly oppose the introduction of Friulian as a default educational offer, this Regional Law stipulates that the language should be offered as an optional subject for at least 30 hours per year in kindergartens, primary schools, and lower secondary schools in the Friulian-speaking territory (closely corresponding to the former provinces of Udine, Pordenone, and Gorizia). However, the extent of Friulian class attendance varies across educational levels and provinces. While over 80% of kindergarten pupils in the area of Udine attend Friulian classes, the percentage drops to below 20% in primary schools in the former province of Pordenone and falls to zero in lower secondary schools in the territory of Gorizia. Friulian in educational research Research on the use of Friulian in education began in the late 1970s. Since then, it has been continued by the University of Udine, which is the main and only university in the Friulian-speaking territory, as well as by other entities, such as the Friulian Philological Society. Although a noteworthy development occurred in 2016, when a specific curriculum for the initial training of teachers of Friulian was inaugurated in the MA programme in Primary Teacher Education at the University of Udine, Friulian has limited presence at university. Apart from that curriculum and a few other linguistics, philology, and literature co

Maltese and its status in education in Malta Maltese, or il-Malti, is a Semitic language closely related to Arabic in structure and morphology but is written from left to right and in the Latin script. When Malta became an independent state within the Commonwealth in 1964, the new Constitution highlighted the importance of Maltese by giving it both a national and an official status. Since 2002, Maltese has also been recognised as an official language within the EU. The systematic teaching of Maltese started in the early 20th century, and since 1946, Maltese has always been one of the core subjects in both primary and secondary education. Malta’s current guiding educational framework, the National Curriculum Framework from 2012, does not outline a policy regarding the language of instruction, but does recognise the need for such a policy, and efforts have been undertaken to address these issues of entitlement, culture, and implementation. In response to the increasing numbers of pupils in Maltese schools whose first language is neither Maltese nor English, courses have recently been developed to teach Maltese as a foreign language. Maltese in educational research Educational research has shown that, in most schools, educators are aware of the need to introduce both Maltese and English at an early age and to create activities where both languages are used. The majority of State school educators focus on Maltese, while in Independent and Church schools, however, there is an emphasis on English. Research on Maltese in education is mainly carried out at the University of Malta. Maltese linguistics is also studied internationally, and the International Association of Maltese Linguistics was founded to serve as a platform to stimulate the study of Maltese and connect researchers interested in Maltese linguistics. Prospects for Maltese in Malta Malta has now become a country with a high non-Maltese populat

Italian and its status in education in Slovenia In the Slovene Littoral, Slovene and Italian are official languages and thus they share equal status in public and private life. Learners in this region attend schools either with Slovene as the medium of instruction or with Italian as the medium of instruction, from pre-school to upper secondary education, and receive additional compulsory education in Italian as a second language (L2; Slovene schools) or Slovene L2 (Italian schools). Enrolment is open to all learners, regardless of their linguistic and cultural origin. In Slovenia, Italian is offered as a first language (L1) and L2 in the bilingual areas in the Slovene Littoral and as a foreign language in the rest of the national territory. Italian in educational research Educational research on Italian is conducted by the Department of Italian Studies and Faculty of Education at the University of Primorska, the Science and Research Centre in Koper, the Department of Italian and Faculty of Education at the University of Ljubljana, and the National Education Institute. The University of Primorska and the Science and Research Centre in Koper are the only institutions that conduct research specifically on Italian as L1 and L2. The Department of Italian Studies at the University of Primorska offers a doctoral study programme in Italian L1 literature, L1 and L2 linguistics, and didactics. Prospects for Italian in Slovenia The institutional support for bilingualism, enshrined in the Constitution and legislation of Slovenia, requires continuous monitoring due to the ever-changing social context. The major challenges today are to enhance motivation for learning Italian in school and to ensure constant exposure to the language outside school. To achieve this aim, more systematic solutions are required if schools are to continue to carry out the role of supporting the maintenance and further development of plu

Slovene and its status in education in Austria In a defined area of Southern Carinthia, Austria, Slovene is protected as a minority language. Despite being an officially recognised minority language, the official use of Slovene is limited to few domains. In the 2001 census, 12,554 Austrian citizens reported that they use Slovene in everyday life. Although pre-school education is not part of the Austrian education system, bilingual nursery schools are funded by the province. Bilingual primary and lower secondary education are granted by law in the southern part of Carinthia; this is executed as bilingual teaching in primary school and as language teaching in lower secondary school. There are two bilingual upper secondary schools, and one with Slovene as the language of instruction. At the tertiary level, Slovene can be studied at the universities of Klagenfurt, Graz, and Vienna. Teacher education is provided by the university college of teacher training Carinthia and the universities of Klagenfurt, Graz and Vienna. Outside the legally defined territory, Slovene can be offered as a subject at every educational level. The overall number of pupils and students studying (in) Slovene, however, is low. Slovene in educational research Research on bilingual education and education in Slovene is mostly conducted by the University of Klagenfurt/Celovec (Department of Education and Department of Slavonic Studies), the University College for Teacher Education Carinthia, and sometimes by teacher education students in Graz and Vienna, and at Slovenian universities. The teaching and perception of teaching of Slovene have been investigated using interviews; however, there has been little classroom research. Such studies have consistently highlighted similar issues of bilingual education in Carinthia, indicating that hardly any improvements have been made. Prospects for Slovene in Austria Since the public use of Slove

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Lithuanian and its status in education in Poland The Constitution of the Republic of Poland contains two articles that pertain directly to minority rights, in which it is stated that Polish citizens belonging to national or ethnic minorities have the freedom to maintain and develop their own language and establish educational institutions. The 1991 Act on the Education System grants pupils the right to maintain their national, ethnic, religious, and linguistic identity, and gives them the right to education in their mother tongue, as well as education about its history and culture. Regarding pre-school education for the Lithuanian minority in Poland, there are three kindergartens. Three primary schools and one secondary school offer education in Lithuanian. Lithuanian in educational research For political reasons, educational and sociolinguistic research on minority/regional language communities showed little development between World War II and 1989. Since then, research has focused on the situation of schooling in Lithuanian; however, there have been no studies on Lithuanian as a medium of instruction or as a subject. Prospects for Lithuanian in Poland The prospects for the Lithuanian language among the Lithuanian minority in Poland are in general quite good, as there are still a few primary and secondary schools left that teach in Lithuanian. However, intermarriage between Poles and Lithuanians is becoming increasingly common and this can be considered a certain threat. From one side, intermarriages indicate the assimilation of the minority, and from another, they indicate a threat of losing identity and with that, heritage, tradition, and language.