The Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE) on Monday quoted the Green League, part of the centre-right -led coalition, as saying that pupils should have the right to choose when to begin learning Swedish, an official language in the country alongside Finnish.

Ville Niinistö, the chairman of the Greens' parliamentary faction, told YLE that he understood why some people in eastern Finland were frustrated that pupils could not opt for Russian instead of Swedish in the early forms of primary school.

Mr Niinistö said pupils should be allowed to choose whether to begin attending Swedish lessons in fifth or eighth form.

At the moment most Finnish-speaking pupils attend Swedish classes from seventh form, as required by the law.

Henna Virkkunen (cons), the education minister, has proposed that obligatory Swedish tuition should begin in fifth form.

STT