Estonia still unsure how many pupils lack a school place
Estonian Education Minister Kristina Kallas says the exact number of children without a school place cannot yet be confirmed, as schools have until September 10 to update the data system. Many of the currently unregistered pupils have Ukrainian names, and schools cannot reach their parents.
Estonian Minister of Education and Research Kristina Kallas (Eesti 200) said on the programme "Esimese stuudio" that the exact number of children left without a school place cannot yet be determined, since schools have not finished entering data into the national education information system.
As of September 1, some 1,300 students were listed as not enrolled in any school. According to Kallas, schools have until September 10 to complete data entry, and many state schools are still awaiting final confirmation of pupil transfers, since some students continue switching schools even now.
Many are Ukrainian children
Kallas said that when she reviewed the list of children not yet marked as enrolled, it turned out most of them have Ukrainian names. Schools report being unable to contact these children's parents, meaning it is unclear whether the children are still in Estonia, have left, or plan to return. Kallas said roughly 500 of these are Ukrainian children whose current location is unknown.
Possible changes to admission rules
Kallas suggested Estonia could consider a system similar to Finland's, where students rank up to seven preferred schools in order of priority. Once an offer arrives from a lower-ranked school on the list, higher-ranked options for which no offer has yet come automatically drop out, though a student can still move up to a higher preference later if a spot opens there.
She noted that excessive movement of students between schools forces institutions to constantly redo their enrollment lists, since transfers continue even into the first week of September. In her view, some limits on school choice may need to be introduced, even though Estonia's education system places high value on school autonomy in admissions — a topic she said deserves public discussion.
Teacher shortage remains the core problem
Kallas named the shortage of teachers, including a lack of adequately qualified educators, as Estonian schools' main problem. She dismissed hopes that artificial intelligence would reduce the need for teachers in the future, arguing instead that as AI becomes more common, the importance of personal interaction in learning will grow, class sizes will shrink, and demand for teachers will actually increase.
