Speech Therapists Union: Ministry's Idea to Let Students Work as Support Specialists Risky
Estonia's Ministry of Education is considering allowing future support specialists to work in schools while still studying, similar to student teachers. The Estonian Speech Therapists Union considers this model risky and stresses that the shortage of professionals cannot be solved by lowering qualification requirements.
Ministry's Proposal and Current Situation
Estonia's Ministry of Education (MoE) is considering allowing future support specialists – speech therapists, psychologists, special education teachers, and social pedagogues – to work in educational institutions during their studies. Currently, these professions require a master's degree in the relevant field. Piret Liba, an advisor at the MoE, notes that in practice, schools employ people without the necessary training under different job titles. The goal is to bring order to this system.
Different Opinions
Milena Pogodajeva, director of Lasnamäe Basic School and head of the Tallinn Learning Counselling Centre, views the idea positively, as children need help. However, she emphasizes that it must be done under the guidance of experienced mentors. She adds that this approach is not suitable for all professions – for example, speech therapists and school psychologists should first obtain full education.
Keiu Barnõdk, head of the Estonian Speech Therapists Union, considers this model too risky. She points out that speech therapists work with children who have speech, swallowing, voice, and other disorders, so allowing people without full education to work is too great a risk. She cites an example where an assistant mistook a speech disorder for color blindness.
Next Steps
The first meeting of the MoE with stakeholders will take place in August. By the end of the year, the ministry plans to finalize the model for organizing the support specialist service system.
