'Tailor Swedish classes to newcomers' needs'
Published: 31 Jan 13 11:15 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/45922/20130131/
With one in four Swedish language students dropping out of the state-run classes, three Liberal Party ministers argued on Thursday that the system is not helping newcomers integrate and needs a work-focused overhaul.
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"We have to focus more on individual needs and make clearer the connection to employment."
With a quarter of enrolled students dropping out before their course has finished, and inconsistent teaching quality nationwide, the politicians want the classes to tie in with the Swedish Employment Agency (Arbetsförmedlingen).
They suggest newly-arrived immigrants could pick up the Swedish language much faster in the work place rather than in the classroom.
In 2011, over 100,000 students took SFI classes and more than 40,000 studied at municipal adult education programmes (Komvux). Many of these students are highly educated, while others are illiterate.
To combat these students' problems with finding work after SFI, the ministers proposed three steps to improve the integration process.
Firstly, they argued that SFI should have a clear connection to work or internship opportunities. They proposed newcomers meet at an early stage with Arbetsförmedlingen staff to discuss finding work.
Secondly, the ministers proposed more flexibility in teaching based on individual students' needs and capabilities. Tailoring courses to fit what job the student will be looking for could also be helpful, they suggested.
Thirdly, they proposed that the Swedish language system be harmonized nationwide.
They said an inquiry would determine whether to abolish the SFI system, and instead transfer all language courses to Komvux.
"Knowledge of Swedish is essential... Unfortunately, too many people who've come to Sweden have poor language skills mainly because SFI hasn't worked well enough," they wrote.
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I read the Swedish article in DB in here:
http://www.dn.se/debatt/svenska-for-invandrare-maste-forandras-i-grunden
In the second paragraph it says:"Historiskt har tankegången varit att människor som flyr till Sverige först ska lära sig svenska och sedan söka jobb." which means from historical point of view people, who seek asylum (flee to Sweden) first should learn Swedish and then look for job.
The basic problem in here is that Swedes mix up immigrants with refugees. Asylum seekers move to Sweden don't even suppose to learn Swedish language; because they are not immigrants, they are refugees! Refugees can choose to learn Swedish or not, depends to them. They don't even have to look for job.
A refugee is a person, who go through an asylum seeking process (over 80% of newcomers); and an immigrant through an immigration process to get permission to stay in the country. Swedes expect that refugees behave and response in the same way that immigrants do by identifying refugees as immigrants!
Immigrants suppose to learn Swedish language and look for jobs, and Swedes believe if they identify refugees as immigrants (by classification, and behavioral manipulations on social level) then refugees consider themselves immigrants, who suppose to learn Swedish language, look for job, and see Sweden as their own country, which is wrong (and of course Swedes look at them as citizen too, which they don't; at least not a first class citizen)!
Of course there are some reasons for this immigration policy (conscious mistake) in Sweden, but too long to write it in here.
I ended up not going anymore,it was a waste of time, instead am doing at Stockholm University.
need i say more!!
i do hope nobody else gets missinformed.
you have italian cars,german technology,spanish wine,etc.
how about swedish non-information?
Actually yes I can blame the SFI teachers; the majority of them have stumbled into SFI teaching from other sectors, t.ex ICA checkout, and have no right call themselves teachers as they appear to lack any formal teaching qualifications. My experience is they appear to spend the majority of their time on an ego trip rather than teaching, and lack the formal teaching qualifications to teach in a formal institution. Personally I prefer the UK ESOL method which is far more efficient in teaching the basics, and if an individual then chooses to advance further they can do so by way of GCSE or the Australian method.
Same for me. SFI is useless...as you said, women breastfeeding, kids crying, fellow-students who had never read a newspaper. I quit, found a job and learned Swedish at work.