Minister: Estonia expects young people studying in Russia to return

Photo: Heiki Rebane/BNS

The young people who are planning to acquire higher education in Russia and then return to Estonia will find employment here, Estonian Minister of Education and Culture Jaak Aaviksoo told BNS in an interview.

Asked how big is demand in Estonia and the European Union in general for higher education offered in Russia, the Estonian minister said: "I think one can get very different higher education in Russia. There are well-known universities, starting with Moscow State University, and there are more modest ones. I believe that all those who graduated from a leading higher education institution in Russia during the Soviet period are coping excellently in Estonian society."

Speaking of young people from Estonia who are planning to acquire higher education in Russia and then return to Estonia, the minister said: "I find that specialists like this are needed in Estonia as well as in the European Union on the whole. The most important thing is the quality of education, however. I mean not quality language-wise, but academic quality. So that those who intend to obtain education in Russia are welcome to come back to Estonia, although statistics show that very many unfortunately will not come back."

"We need contacts with the Russian Federation, including on the personal level. We know that personal contacts get their start in student years in many respects. I very much hope that those who acquire higher education in Russia will come back to Estonia," Aaviksoo said.

Aaviksoo gave the interview to the Russian news desk of BNS Estonia in Russian on April 23.