Government changes Estonian language skill requirements for teachers, school heads

Estonian language class. Photo: Tairo Lutter

The government at its sitting on Thursday approved the requirements for the proficiency and use of the Estonian language for teachers, heads of schools and support specialists in connection with the transition to Estonian-language education.

From Sept. 1, 2026, assistant teachers of kindergartens must know the Estonian language at the B2 level and teachers working on the basis of international curricula must be proficient at the B1 level.

Minister of Education and Research Kristina Kallas said that the quality of Estonian-language education depends directly on the language skills of the employees of educational institutions and specifying the language requirements is necessary in order to ensure support for children and young people in kindergartens and schools transitioning to Estonian-language education.

«The learning of the Estonian language and the shaping of the language environment are influenced by all people working in the field of education and child rearing who come into contact with children on a daily basis,» Kallas said.

Kindergarten assistant teachers are given two years to bring their Estonian language skills to the required B2 level. Until Sept. 1, 2026, an employee assisting a teacher in a kindergarten may have Estonian language skills at the A2 level.

For teachers working on the basis of the international curricula who have worked in Estonia for at least five years, the currently applicable requirement is B2 level language proficiency.

Such a high level is not necessary for these employees to perform their duties, but they nevertheless need to know the Estonian language to some extent. The requirement for the knowledge of the Estonian language at level B1 will be established for teachers of international schools, as is currently required of academic staff of higher education institutions who teach in a language other than Estonian. The B1 level language requirement will be valid from Sept. 1, 2026, meaning these employees have until then to bring their Estonian language skills to the required level.

Teachers working in general education schools who teach in a language other than Estonian and for whom the Estonian language proficiency requirement of level B2 applies, are given time until Aug. 1 of next year to bring their language proficiency up to the required level.

In addition, the language proficiency requirements of support specialists were specified, so that all support specialists working in Estonian must know Estonian at the C1 level from Aug. 1, 2026, with the exception of special pedagogues and psychologists, for whom this requirement already applies. So far, social pedagogues and speech therapists were not mentioned separately in the regulation on language proficiency requirements.

It was now specified that they too must know Estonian at the C1 level if they work in Estonian and bring their language skills to the required level within two years. They are able continue to work in their job position until then.

In addition to education workers, it was specified that a physiotherapist, midwife and nurse providing healthcare must have B2 level Estonian language skills and the B2 level language requirement will also apply to all security workers in the future.