Features
Students and English language proficiency at Finnish universities
• University of Helsinki requires prospective students
to prove their English proficiency
Recently, someone asked me about English language requirements for international students who come from an English-speaking country and want to gain admission for a programme in a Finnish university.
The person made specific reference to students from the Commonwealth nations in Africa where English is the ‘official’ or major language of instruction throughout one’s schooling.
In fact, the University of Helsinki, for example, requires a prospective student to prove their English proficiency from a number of methods.
Commonwealth countries and English
Actually, this was not the first time the person was asking whether an exemption can be given to prospective students coming from the Commonwealth countries where English is the official language or medium of instruction throughout schooling.
The person thought this would be one good option as happens in some other places.
Truly, I have no idea what exemptions are there and whether such a consideration can be given to students from Commonwealth countries.
I advised those who contacted me to find out from the faculties or departments and the programmes that they are interested to study in Finnish universities.
Accepted methods of proving language skills
According to information on the website of the University of Helsinki, for example, there are a number of methods to prove your English language skills.
The IELTS (International English Language Testing System) is one such method for testing the language skills of a prospective student. The minimum requirement for the IELTS is an overall score of 6.5, with a minimum score of 6.0 in the writing section.
The other method is the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language). In this, the student has to score 92 in the internet-based test (IBT), with a minimum of 22 in the writing section.
There is also the revised Paper-delivered Test of the TOEFL which should have a minimum score of 20 in the listening section, and a minimum of 22 in the writing section. The information says that both the Home Edition and Paper Edition of TOEFL IBT are also accepted.
I think it is not easy to pass these English language tests. Moreover, I heard that the certificate expires after some months or so, which does not make things easy.
Eye-catching International Master’s Programmes
All the same, people should not lose hope and miss the many eye-catching and potentially beneficial International Master’s Programmes for foreign students in Finnish universities.
Although I do not have any figures to show how many foreign students gain admission into Finnish universities, I can say as I have previously done that there are quite huge numbers of non-European students these days wanting to pursue further education in Finland.
It is stated clearly on the website of the University of Helsinki that when students apply to their International Master’s programmes in English or to their multilingual Master’s programmes with English as the language of the degree, they must prove their language skills in English (see www.helsinki.fi).
But statements issued by individual language teachers or universities’ own language test scores are not accepted. This is because the statements cannot be compared with standardised language tests, according to the instructions for the Master’s programme applications for 2022 (which ended in early January this year).
Cooperation
Ever since those inquiries were made to me about exemptions from the English language proficiency test, I have been thinking about whether there could be a possibility for that through cooperation or an agreement between institutions in the two countries.
I have been wondering if it would be possible for the two governments or at least institutions of higher education to devise an agreement about exemption from the proficiency test as part of measures to strengthen their development cooperation relationship through education.
Finland is trying to attract more foreign students into its universities these days. As we know, studies in especially higher educational institutions is good academically, culturally, economically, politically, etc. for both the sending country and the receiving/host nation.
There is no doubt that increasing and strengthening the areas of cooperation between the two countries and individual students’ quest to study abroad can be boosted if there are official arrangements backing them. Thank you!
The writer is Ghanaian lecturer at
the University of Helsinki in Finland
By Perpetual Crentsil
Email: perpetualcrentsil@yahoo.com
THE typical itinerant salesman in Sikaman is a herbalist. He is normally a slim macho with the capacity to perambulate the expanse of area covering the triangle of Accra-Tema-Ashiaman. In short, he can walk a total of 60 miles a day, marketing a product that cures every disease, including poverty. 
The door-to-door herbal pharmacist advertises his product by word of mouth. He has nothing to do with the Food and Drugs Board (FDB). After all, his concoctions do not feature on FM stations.
Those herbalists who cannot walk to propagate the herbal gospel, liaise with drivers of mass transportation and their mates. They are, therefore, given the chance to sell their products on Benz buses that ply the routes.
Normally, the herbalist starts his sales message with a prayer and Bible study. He asks the passengers to bow down their heads in supplication to God the father, the son, the Holy Spirit.
When a herbalist asks the passengers to close their eyes and bow their heads, Moslems on board naturally feel offended. They feel that the herbalist has no right to assume that every passenger is a Christian. They think such an assumption is an affront to Islam.
So a Moslem on board will raise the hand for a point of order. He’ll remind the herbalist that it would be in his own interest to mind his language.
“Be careful the way you address people in a public place. Not every person here is a Christian,” he’d state assertively.
Of course, the herbalist will promptly ignore him, but would all the same “watch” his tongue. Who knows whether or not the Moslem brother is inspired by Quoranic zeal to defend the tenets of Islam to the hilt?
When he starts saying, “Wallahi!” and “Inshallah!” it could be the beginning of proclaiming Islam as supreme, a point which must be driven home with talibanic precision.
So the herbalist must tread carefully lest he steps on fire.
The herbalist could even add a measure of mirth to it all, by announcing that Christians on board today have very interesting company on the journey, but that should not detract from the business of the day.
The Moslem brother will weigh the words carefully and offer a wry smile.
He must be careful the occasion does not degenerate into the use of semantics and proverbial oration to deride his conviction that public utterances must be mindful of religious sensibilities. He has made his point very clear and expects that it is taken in good faith in the interest of a peaceful journey.
The herbalist will now open the New Testament and preach salvation, stating clearly that salvation can come only through Jesus Christ and NOBODY else.
The Moslem brother will now start twitching his moustache. The visible and almost revolutionary reflexes of his upper lip can be an indication that sentiments have begun superseding reason, and the outcome could well be tragic now shift uneasily in his seat.
The time has come for him to also express his right to the religion of his fore-bears. He’ll put his hand into his pocket and rise to his feet. The time has indeed come!
This article was first published on Saturday, September 9, 2006
When the cause of a particular problem like sickness, disease, sudden illness, a social issue etc. are not known, it stands to reason that resolving it becomes a huge challenge.
Citizens would understand the government when public announcements are made to the effect that government is trying to find a solution to the issue, even though it is taking a while for it to be resolved because citizens are rational beings.
On the other hand, if the solution to a particular issue is known to everybody but the government for whatever reason, is dragging its feet in resolving it, citizens become frustrated and begin to lose trust in their leaders.
One such issue is the heavy traffic along a section of the Kasoa – Odokor road. A short stretch of bad road between the traffic light at the Weija Government Hospital and the entrance to the entrance of the overhead that leads to the N1, is the cause of the problem but nothing is being done about it, day after day, week after week, month after month. Thus is clearly unacceptable.
Another issue that requires urgent attention is the lack of pavements along a lot of streets in parts of the various Municipal Assemblies. Exercise is a prerequisite for long life and healthy living and for those of us who it has become a way of life, this issue of people putting up structures right to the edge of the drains beside the roads, are making life difficult for us.
We are compelled to walk along the roads, putting our lives at serious risk. Pedestrians should never be compelled to compete with vehicles on our streets and roads. Roads and streets are made for vehicles and pavements are made for pedestrians. That is the norm. Any attempt to normalise a situation where pedestrians are mingling with vehicles is insanity.
It is the road regulations that makes it so and therefore district or municipal assemblies are to take responsibility and ensure that spaces for pavements are not encroached upon. Citizens have rights that must be protected by their leaders and making pavements available to pedestrians, is one of them.
When we hear of teachers having sex with students, it appears it is something recent. It is not a new phenomenon. It has been there since Adam. Perhaps this issue is getting much attention due to the proliferation of social media. It was an open secret in times past when Teachers were in relationships with female students and some married them immediately after completion of school.
Some teachers were also known to be having unholy interactions with female pupils but due to the times that these acts occurred, human rights issues and the awareness around it, allowed such unscrupulous teachers to get away with their crimes.
Now we are in a different era and so a Headmaster is now in hot waters. He is alleged to have raped about 19 female students and as usual, some officials tried to cover it up and are also in hot waters and their actions or inactions in the matter are under investigation.
Why the man has been allowed to roam freely without being arrested is simply mind boggling. It appears that the law applies differently, depending on who you are. This issue came to public attention sometime in August this year, yet the police had not arrested or invited this man for question regarding the rape allegation.
It has come out that he is a Constituency Secretary of the ruling party and the question in the public domain is that, is it because he is a political figure that is why he is still walking around without questioning? I believe in the rule of law so let us hold our breadth and let the proper thing be done.
The police must however be seen to be active in this matter. God bless.
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