Estonia: Over 1,300 students still without school place, most from Russian-language schools

A day before the start of the school year, around 1,300 young people of compulsory school age in Estonia still had no school place, and by September 11 the number of basic school graduates without a place stood at 485. Education Minister Kristina Kallas said the problem is most severe in Tallinn and mainly affects graduates of Russian-language basic schools, who make up more than 60 percent of those without a place.

According to Kallas, these students could not even be admitted to vocational schools because their Estonian skills are virtually nonexistent despite nine years of studying the language. Vocational education includes technical subjects, and students cannot take part if they can't understand basic safety instructions, meaning no allowances can compensate for the gap.

Kallas criticized Tallinn's Center Party-led city government, which has long defended Russian-language schooling but is now voicing concern over the outcome. She said these students' situation was never actually new — it simply went unnoticed until now. She noted that Estonian was taught only 45 minutes a day, and explanations during those lessons may even have been given in Russian.

Weak test results

Schools transitioning to Estonian-language instruction must administer proficiency tests in fourth grade. The average score exceeds 50 percent, but Kallas said this is not a good outcome, since half of students fail to reach even the most basic A1 level. The ministry is also weighing how students who switched to Estonian-language education two years ago will take their basic school math exam in three years — options include letting them choose the exam language or offering a simplified Estonian version. Kallas cited Latvia's falling PISA results, below the OECD average, as a cautionary example after Latvia required all students to take the test in Latvian.

A language proficiency assessment will also be added to kindergarten graduation reports. Meanwhile, language-support funding is now available to Estonian-language schools as well, since growing numbers of Russian-speaking children are enrolling there. The number of teachers failing to meet language requirements has dropped sharply, from 1,802 two years ago to just 144 now.