Saami People : Saami University College

Saami University College - the Saami guiding star The Saami University College was established to Guovdageaidnu year 1989 as a result of Saami Movement’s campaign. College is based on the needs of Saami society for higher education and research (research-based teaching). The main three elements of Saami University College scientific basis are language and language development, sustainable development and biodiversity and Saami teaching and understanding. The College has national responsibility for Saami teacher-training and journalist-training and higher education. The College is funded by Norwegian Ministry of Education and it is the only one College among 38 University Colleges in Norway to maintain Saami culture. The College serves all Saami students in Saami Area of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. In Saami University College the Saami language is the main language and most of the instructing of the studies is given in Saami language. Both students and staff are only bi or multilingual. The priorities for building up competence and creating a Saami higher education are to develop Saami language as an academical language; to develop concepts into Saami language for teaching and to research and develop the syllabuses/curricula on the basis of Saami needs for the studies in the Saami society. The main entrance to Saami University College building. Picture: Saami College.

This is the main building of Saami University College. The main entrance is on the right. Picture: John Slade.

Students and staff We have about 220 students and staff members arround 50 so that there are about 30 teaching and staff members are 20 in the administration in all. The Saami Unit of National Support System for Special Education of Norway is situated in Guovdageaidnu/Kautokeino in connection of the Saami University College building. Students are mostly from Norway; some from Sweden; more and more from Finland and few from Russia. It is also notable that most of the students are female. The staff members are mostly from Norwegian side of Saami area. Saami language is the main language both in teaching and in the administration on every day basis.

Arguments for Saami College Why Saami College? The arguments for Saami University College are the Saami Act, Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, the Saami Language Regulations, the ILO -Convention nr. 169, Agenda 21 and Norwegian Public Commissions reports. Below is elaborated more about few of there arguments. Saami Act, Norwegian Constitution article 110 A The Norwegian Parliament adopted on 21st of April 1988 the Saami Act §110a of the Norwegian Constitution. According to the Saami Parliament website "The Sámi Act is designed to ensure a co-ordinated and principled Sámi policy. The aim of the Act is "to ensure favourable conditions to enable the Sámi people of Norway to maintain and develop its language, culture and social life." [...] The Sámi Act and §110a of the Constitution recognise the Sámis as a separate people with a long history of settlement in Norway." Read the whole text here. European Council’s Charter for Regional or Minority Languages All three countries Finland, Norway and Sweden have signed and ratified the Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. Russia has signed the Charter but not yet ratified. The Charter has entered into force in Norway 1st of March 1998. Accoring to the Charter text the purpose of "the Charter is a convention designed on the one hand to protect and promote regional and minority languages as a threatened aspect of Europe's cultural heritage and on the other hand to enable speakers of a regional or minority language to use it in private and public life. Its overriding purpose is cultural. It covers regional and minority languages, non-territorial languages and less widely used official languages." Read the whole Charter here. Relevant links:The Norwegian Constitution and the Sámi Act at the Saami Parliaments website. ILO convention nr 169 Charter for Regional or Minority Languages