New Estonian dialect lesson rules raise questions among teachers and students

Estonia's Ministry of Education has drafted legislation to expand the teaching of regional varieties of Estonian in schools. Under the draft, students could replace the second compulsory foreign language, introduced around grade 7, with studying a local variety such as Võru, Setu or Mulgi. The draft has drawn criticism from the Estonian Union of Student Councils, the Estonian Association of School Leaders and the Estonian Language Council.

What the draft provides

The change would mainly concern schools in the historical areas of the Võru, Setu, Mulgi, Tartu, Saare, Kihnu, Muhu, Hiiu, Kodavere, Kuusalu, Lüganuse and Jõhvi varieties, where there are about 155 basic schools. Currently, around 15–20 general education schools offer dialect instruction, most of them small rural schools. If at least 10 children want to study their regional language, parents would have the right to ask the school to provide it.

Students' concerns

Union chairman Karl Erik Kirss told Minister of Education Kristina Kallas that dialect lessons should not come at the expense of students' free time and well-being. The union fears resentment towards students in such classes, difficulties in finding funding and teachers, and requirements that are too high for small rural schools. Kirss said the threshold of 10 requests could be too rigid and proposed a proportional system. He also suggested offering lessons in larger towns and cities, since young people often move for school, for example from Kihnu to Pärnu or from Setomaa to Tartu.

School leaders and the Language Council

Karin Lukk, deputy chair of the Association of School Leaders, said dialect and local culture teaching need not be governed by several legal acts. The association favors electives or extracurricular education and noted it is unclear whether a request would make the lessons compulsory for all students at a school.

Language Council Chair Birute Klaas warned that students may face difficulties in upper secondary school if foreign language instruction there presupposes earlier skills. The council called for clarity on who will organize and fund the classes, and on qualified teachers, materials and methodological support.