Folk high school
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Folk high schools are institutions of adult and continuing education common in the Nordic countries (where they are most common in Norway) and in Germany. Despite similar names and remotely similar goals, the institutions are quite different in Germany and the Nordic countries. The German folk high schools are in fact much closer to the institutions called folkeuniversitet or folkuniversitet in the Nordic countries, which provide adult education usually in connection with a local regular university, and those called työväenopisto or kansalaisopisto (called arbetarinstitut in Swedish) in Finland.
The names in the local languages are folkehøjskole (Danish), kansanopisto (Finnish), folkehøyskole/folkehøgskole/folkehøgskule (Norwegian), folkhögskola (Swedish), and Volkshochschule (German). The counterpart in France is known as université populaire.
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[edit] Features
Folk high schools are quite different in character but usually have the following common features:
- For adults usually aged 18--25 (but all ages in Germany and Denmark)
- A large variety of subjects
- No final exams
- Focus on self-development
- Pedagogical freedom
- Usually one year in duration (not in Germany, where the courses are not interrelated)
- Boarding schools (not in Germany)
In general, there is a differentiation between Christian folk high schools and free-thinking schools (not so in Germany).
[edit] History
The first folk high school was founded in Rødding, Denmark, in 1844, on the initiative of Kristen Kold and inspired by the educational thinking of Nikolaj Frederik Severin Grundtvig. It was sparked by a need to educate the uneducated and often poor peasantry, who could not spend the time or the money to enroll at a university.
[edit] Sweden
The first folk high schools in Sweden were established in 1868. Today, there are about 150 folk high schools throughout the country, most of which are situated in the countryside, often in remote areas. Tuition is free, and the students are eligible for normal financial aid. After graduating, the students are eligible to study at a university.
Some schools, for example Södra Vätterbygdens Folkhögskola near Jönköping, cooperate with schools in other countries and have an exchange student program.
[edit] Germany
A Volkshochschule in one of the German-speaking countries usually provides non-credit continuing adult education in:
- general education
- vocational education
- political education
- German as a second language (especially for immigrants)
- different foreign languages
- different forms of art
- information technology
- health education
- preparatory classes for school exams (especially for the Abitur or Matura)
This type of folk high school is currently most widespread in Germany. Due to its offering of preparatory classes for school exams, the German Volkshochschule also fulfills the educational function of adult high schools in other countries.
[edit] France
- The first generation described as before is set in France in the context of the Dreyfus Affair, as the spreading of antisemitism finds a reaction : teachers try to cope with it adding free educational lectures of humanist topics for adults. The time of Jules Ferry & free public school for all pupils is also in the air.
- A second generation for such folk high school meant to educate the people and the masses spread in the society (mainly for workers) just before the French Front populaire experience, as a reaction among teachers and intellectuals to the rioting situation of the country (polarized as Croix-de-Feu militants kept violently opposed to left-wing agitators). Issues devoted to free-thinking such as workers' self-management were thought & taught during that time, since the majority of attendants were proletarians interested in politics. Hence, some received the name of Université prolétarienne instead of Université populaire[1] in some cities around the country. WW2 put end to it. That tendency continued in the post-war period, yet topical lectures turned to be more practical and focused on daily-life matters. Nowadays, the largest remnant is located in Bas-Rhin & Haut-Rhin départements (see external links).
- In 2002, philosopher Michel Onfray added a third generation to the concept, initiating Université populaire de Caen[2] in his hometown & starting a long seminar dealing with hedonistic philosophy from Ancient times to May'68 events in French society, for a 4-year duration at least [3]. His very topical subject with this seminar keeps going with a free-thinking spirit, since people are invited on the whole to rethink History of ideas to get rid of any christian influence. Despite the same name of Université populaire, it is not linked to the European federation of associations inherited from the second generation. In 2004, Michel Onfray expanded the experience[4] to other cities such as Arras, Lyon, Narbonne, Avignon & Mons (in Belgium) ; each one with various lectures and teachers joining his idea. Last but not least of those Universités populaires is the one that opened in Argentan city ; its focus is meant to deliver a culture of culinar tastes to homeless people, through lectures and practises of famous chefs [5].
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ French WP article: Université populaire
- ^ French WP article: Université populaire de Caen
- ^ A recorded compilation of his lectures burnt on CD already became a hit in France, about 200 000 copies sold : Contre-Histoire de la philosophie.
- ^ He also published a book as a manifesto to describe his hopes about it : la communauté philosophique.
- ^ First lecture at Argentan in november was delivered by the main cooker of Crillon motel ; Michel Onfray commented on radio he liked to enable such an extravagant encounter.
[edit] External links
- Information about Folk High Schools in Austria
- Information about Folk High Schools in Denmark
- Information about Folk High Schools in Germany
- Information about Folk High Schools in Finland
- Information about Folk High Schools in France, called Université populaire du Rhin
- Information about Folk High Schools in Norway
- Information about Folk High Schools in South Tyrol
- Information about Folk High Schools in Sweden
- Information about Folk High Schools in Switzerland
