Estonia transition of education to the Estonian language
The Estonian parliament, the Riigikogu, on Monday passed a law creating the basis and conditions for the transition of education to the Estonian language, in particular stating that the language of instruction in schools and institutions for children is Estonian.
ERR reports about it.
In the third and final reading, 62 Estonian MPs voted for the law, and 16 voted against it.
The document says kindergartens, as well as 1st and 4th grades, will switch to Estonian in the academic year 2024-2025. The share of non-Estonian language in gymnasiums and secondary vocational education could be as much as 40% by the academic year 2029-2030.
In the 12th-grade schools, teaching should be organized entirely in Estonian by the academic year 2032-2033. In vocational schools, the changes will affect students enrolled in secondary vocational education.
The qualification requirement for employees in the field of education is supplemented by the requirement to know the state language, according to which from 2024 the teacher must know Estonian at the level of C1.
Author - Olena Madiak, 12/12/2022
