Estonian �education system

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Eye-catching overview

A brief history

• 1575 first ABC book in Estonian was published

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• 1632 the University of Tartu was founded by Swedish King Gustav II Adolf

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• 1684 Forselius Seminar near Tartu; reading, writing, recitation and singing was taught

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• In 1886 93% of all school-age children were educated either at school or at home

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• In 1881, 6% were illiterate in Estonia

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• In 1896, only 0.6% were illiterate in Estonia

School reform 1937 �two paralleel paths from primary school to upper secondary school

In the first case

the student completed

• 6th grade primary school
• followed by 3rd grade real school
• 3rd grade gymnasium

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In the second case

the student went

• 4th grade primary school
• 5th grade upper secondary school
• 3rd grade upper secondary school

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Today’s education in Estonia

Divided into

• general
• vocational
• hobby education

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Is based on4 levels

• pre-school
• basic
• secondary
• higher education

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Institutions

• A wide network of schools and supporting educational institutions has been established
• the Estonian Educational system consists
• state schools
• municipal schools
• public schools
• private schools

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There are currently 589 schools in Estonia

Some facts

• There are currently 589 schools in Estonia
• Estonia started connecting all its schools to the internet very early
• Tiigrihüpe (Estonian for Tiger Leap) was a project undertaken by Republic of Estonia to heavily invest in development and expansion of computer and network infrastructure in Estonia
• The project was announced by Lennart Meri, the President of Estonia, on 21 February 1996.
• An important primary effect of the project was rollout of Internet access to all Estonian schools

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Pre-school education

• children between the ages of three to seven
• to support the child's family through fostering the child's growth
•  facilities for the pre-school education are provided by the local authorities at the request of parents
• follow state curricula
• children who have passed the pre-school curriculum will be issued a certificate that records the child's development

Basic comprehensive education�

• the nine-year comprehensive school (Estonian põhikool, "basic school")
•  school attendance is mandatory (homeschooling is allowed, but rare)
• first four grades of primary school are called Algkool which can be translated as "beginning school" (not a pre-school)
• basic education is made available through national curriculum of basic school or simplified curriculum for basic school
• graduating the basic school requires that the student
• learns the curriculum at least a satisfactory level together with
• passing three basic school graduation exams consisting of the Estonian language or Estonian as a second language, mathematics and an exam on a subject of the student's choice as well as completing a creative assignment.

Student assessment system

• Students’ knowledge, skills and proficiency are usually assessed on a five-point scale where
• «5» is «very good»,
• «4» is «good»,
• «3» is «satisfactory»,
• «2» is «poor» and
• «1» is «weak».

Schools can use a different marking system and for classes 1 to 3 or 4 a descriptive marking system that does not use numbers.

Secondary education

• based on basic education
• general secondary education
• constitutes a set of knowledge, skills and competences
• set out in the national curriculum for upper secondary schools, the acquiring of which is the precondition for further studies at universities and vocational educational institutions.
• Upper secondary education is not mandatory.
• Is divided into
• general secondary education, provided by upper secondary schools
• and vocational secondary education, provided by vocational educational institutions.

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Gymnasium – part of educational system

• General secondary education is acquired at the gymnasium (in Estonian "gümnaasium"), which is an upper secondary school
• The upper secondary school is a general education school, which follows on from basic school and has a nominal study period of three years
• Everyday learning is based on school curricula prepared based on the national curriculum for upper secondary schools
• Upper secondary schools are designed to help students become creative, multi-talented, socially mature and reliable citizens who have discovered a field of endeavour that is best suited to their individual interests and capacities for continuing their future educational path
• The study programme at upper secondary school is arranged into mandatory and voluntary courses

Upper secondary school

• Graduation from upper secondary school requires
• the student to complete a curriculum consisting of at least 96 individual courses passed at a satisfactory level as a minimum
• passing the state exams consisting of the Estonian language or Estonian as a second language, mathematics and a foreign language exam
• passing the upper secondary school exam as well as completing a student research paper or practical work during the entire study period.
• Attaining general secondary education entitles students to continue their studies at a higher educational institution or to obtain vocational education.

Financing�

• According to the Basic Schools and Upper Secondary Schools Act the school's running costs will be covered by the school manager
• In most cases, this means local governments
• Local governments are authorised to establish, re-arrange and close general education schools
• Local governments
• keep account of the number of compulsory attending children
• ensure school attendance control
• make arrangements for school transport and the provision of school meals
• and perform a number of related functions.

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State subsidies

• The number of the students in municipal schools will be used to calculate the amount of state subsidies allocated from the state budget to municipalities.
• The state subsidy is used for covering expenses on teachers’ salaries, social taxes, training and textbooks.
• Similar subsidies are also made available to private general education schools as prescribed by the Private Schools Act. In doing so, the state will refrain from prescribing guidelines as to the use of the funds allocated.
• The local government reserves the obligation and right to finance schools based on their actual needs.

Thank you for your attention

Enjoy your days in Estonia