NSKS - Narodni svet koroških SlovencevCouncil of the Carinthian Slovenes, Austria

The Council of the Carinthian Slovenes (Narodnih svet koroških Slovencev) is the political stakeholder that advocates the minority rights in Carinthia, mainly based on Article 7 of the Austrian State Treaty of 15 May 1955. One of the most important aims of the Council is to preserve, and expand the Slovenian and bilingual establishments like kindergartens, elementary schools, secondary schools and colleges.

The Council of the Carinthian Slovenes is a service facility that can be used by everyone who belongs to the Slovenian minority and unites many different associations.

The Slovenian school association pursues several approaches in Carinthia in order to implement a number of innovative projects on bilingual, trilingual and quadrilingual language transmission in pre-school and school education, and to create connections to Slovenia and Italy.

The role of the Council of the Carinthian Slovenes in the network RML2future
Specialist for early language learning

Pre-school and school education plays an important role in early language learning. In the working package on the subject of Early Language Learning, which is managed by the Council of the Carinthian Slovenes, the main objective is to use the minority language as the bilingualism and multilingualism that is available in the region by nature in order to reach the European goal of multilingualism from early childhood on.

The objective is to find new ways to offer each child the opportunity to grow up in three languages. It is important in this regard to create awareness for linguistic diversity and for the languages that exist in the region as well as in neighbouring regions anyhow. It will help later in picking up other European and world-languages.

This pursuit is supported by the exchange of proven methods and techniques, by meetings and exchange of experiences, having working group meetings and discussions, visits to the regions and by compiling guidelines, which all will take place within the working package.

An important aspect of the working package is the development of a network of language teachers and other pedagogical professionals and their institutions, that they exchange views and that a didactics of multilingualism is developed.

Based on an analysis of the needs amongst minorities it is also required to find the answers to some other specific questions, like on didactics, methodology and learning materials.

The experiences in Carinthia, in the border region between Austria, Slovenia and Italy, and the projects that were implemented in schools and daycare centres in regard to bilingual, trilingual and quadrilingual language transmission offer a basis for reflection.

Contact

Narodni svet koroških Slovencev
Rat der Kärntner Slowenen
Viktringer Ring 26
9020 Celovec / Klagenfurt
Austria / Österreich
Telefon: +43 (0) 463 51 2528
Fax: ++43 (0) 463 51 25 28 22
Email: office@nsks.at
Internet: www.nsks.at