Firda

ORGANISATION

Firda is the largest secondary vocational education institute in Fryslân, with approximately 21,000 students annually, including teenagers, young adults and adult learners. Since 2025, Firda hosts the Practoraat Frysk & Meartaligens (Frisian & Multilingualism).

A practoraat is a specialised research and innovation platform designed to strengthen the connection between education, professional practice and applied knowledge. The Practoraat Frysk & Meartaligens aims to give Frisian and multilingualism a more structural place within vocational education in Fryslân, both at Firda and at Aeres.

Through research, pilot projects and close cooperation with teachers, educational leaders and labour-market stakeholders, the practoraat explores ways to strengthen the use of Frisian as a language of communication, instruction and learning. Its objective is to ensure that vocational education reflects the linguistic reality of Fryslân and responds to the needs of a multilingual society and labour market.

Through this work, Firda contributes to the promotion of Frisian, multilingual education and linguistic diversity, supporting the broader goals of the NPLD across Europe.

COUNTRY

The Netherlands

TYPE OF ORGANISATION

Associate Member

WEBSITE

https://www.firda.nl/

INFORMATION ABOUT THE LANGUAGE

Frisian

NAME OF THE LANGUAGE

NAMME FAN DE TAAL

Frisian

Frysk

TOTAL NUMBER OF SPEAKERS

OANTAL SPREKKERS

600,000

NUMBER OF NATIVE SPEAKERS

OANTAL MEMMETAALSPREKKERS

350,000

REGULATED BY

WETJOUWING EN BELIED

Frisian Language Law 2014; Covenant on Frisian Language and Culture.

Fryske Taalwet 2014; Bestjoersôfspraak Fryske taal en kultuer.

GEOGRAPHICAL AREA

GEOGRAFYSKE SPRIEDING

Province of Fryslân (the Netherlands)

Provinsje Fryslân

LANGUAGE FAMILY

TAALFAMYLJE

West-Germanic

West-germaansk

STATUS OF THE LANGUAGE

TAALSTATUS

Official second language of Province of Fryslân; recognition as Minority Language in the European Charter for Regional or Minoriy Languages.

Twadde rykstaal yn de provinsje Fryslân; erkend as Minderheidstaal yn it Europeesk Hânfest for Regionale of Minderheidstalen.

STATUS AT THE UNIVERSITY

STATUS YN IT HEGER ÛNDERWIIS

Obligatory subject in Primary Teacher Education; optional subject in Secondary Teacher Education.

Ferplichte fak yn de Pabo (basisûnderwiis); karfak yn de Twaddegraads learaarsoplieding (fuortset ûnderwiis).

FIELDS OF USE

WÊR WURDT DE TAAL BRÛKT

Oral use and in writing in public administration, judiciary, education, media, leisure, cultural and social life.

Mûnling en skriftlik yn it iepenbier bestjoer, de rjochtspraak, it ûnderwiis, de media, it kulturele en sosjale libben.

YEAR OF SOURCE

JIER FAN BOARNE

2017