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VOLKSHOCHSCHULE

Folk high schools are institutions of adult and continuing education, common in Germany and in the Nordic countries, among which they are most common in Norway.

The word is in Danish: folkehøjskole, in Norwegian: folkehøyskole/folkehøgskole/folkehøgskule, Swedish: folkhögskola, and in German: Volkshochschule. A counterpart in France is known as Université populaire.

Contents

Features

The common features of different folk high schools are:

  • Usually one year in duration
  • Boarding school
  • A large variety of subjects
  • No finishing exams
  • Focus on self-development
  • Pedagogical freedom

In general, there is a differentiation between Christian folk high schools and free-thinking schools.

History

The first folk high school was founded in Rødding, Denmark, in 1844, on 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 neither the time nor money to enroll at a university.

Sweden

The first group of folk high schools in Sweden were established in 1868. The folk high schools of today are mainly situated in remote areas, often on the countryside. There are today around 150 folk high schools spread around all parts of the country. Education is free and eligible for standard student funds. After graduating, the student will be eligible for studies at a university.

Some schools have cooperation with schools in other countries, allowing exchanging students, as exemplified by Södra Vätterbygdens Folkhögskola near Jönköping.

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.

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.

See also

References

  1. ^ French WP article: Université populaire
  2. ^ French WP article: Université populaire de Caen
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ He also published a book as a manifesto to describe his hopes about it : la communauté philosophique.

External links