TÕNIS LUKAS ⟩ Full transition to Estonian-language education is nearing its end

Tõnis Lukas. Photo: Eero Vabamägi

• The transition of high schools to the Estonian language was drawn up years ago.
• Tallinn city governments have worked against the transition.
• Estonian language proficiency requirements have been established for teachers three times.

From September 1, kindergartens will operate in Estonian and basic schools will begin the transition to education fully in the Estonian language. This is what the law adopted under the leadership of Isamaa in 2022 and the action plan based on it envisage. The government of the Reform Party, Estonia 200 and the Social Democratic Party (SDE) has promised to fulfill them to the letter. Let's hope and see, writes Tõnis Lukas (Isamaa), who as minister of education made the transition decision and drew up the action plan.

Unfortunately, we did indeed reach a consensus on the political level only two years ago. The press has discussed why these decisions were not made earlier. The question why we have not been able to ensure a fully Estonian-language country, although this is the constitutional task of our state leaders and administration, is also justified.

While holding the position of the minister of education, Isamaa has always consistently led the transition to Estonian-language education and strengthened the role of the Estonian language in the public space, as a language of study and administration. I would like to remind you that the transition of high schools to the Estonian language was drawn up during the government of Mart Laar in 1999-2002. The goal was that by 2007 the transition would have taken place in the same way in all Russian-language schools.

At the demand of the coalition partners at the time, the Social Democrats, it could not be carried out completely, but only in the extent of 60 percent of the lessons, the rest could be in another language. The opposition Center Party was against even such a solution, which in our opinion was too mild.

The law did not provide for exceptions at the time, but when Siim Kallas went against Laar together with Edgar Savisaar and formed the next government, he immediately submitted to the request of the Center Party, and thus in the spring of 2002, as the first legislative initiative, schools and municipalities were allowed to request exceptions. The Center Party city authorities of Narva and Tallinn, for example, saw the change as confirmation that the government is not consistent in its demands and that the state has retreated from the transition as a goal. In some places, the preparations were either interrupted or became significantly slower.

When I initiated the creation of state gymnasiums, the original idea was to establish them in East-Viru County and Lasnamäe in Tallinn, precisely so that the actions of state-appointed school principals would help break the opposition to education in the Estonian language. Lasnamäe still does not have a state school due to the opposition of the previous city governments.

When Isamaa got hold of the education minister's position again from 2007, the government did not make exceptions for the schools that applied for them, but until then neither the state nor the municipalities had made thorough preparations due to the intermediate concession, because the transition was not taken seriously.

The Tallinn city government was clearly working against the transition. Edgar Savisaar and Mihhail Kõlvart essentially led the fight against the transition to Estonian-language education instigated by Russia. Language-impaired school principals were allowed to continue in office and teachers' desire to learn Estonian was poor. When I initiated the creation of state gymnasiums, the original idea was to establish them in East-Viru County and Lasnamäe in Tallinn, precisely so that the actions of state-appointed school principals would help break the opposition to education in the Estonian language. Lasnamäe still does not have a state school due to the opposition of the previous city governments.

A new opportunity to proceed vigorously with the introduction of Estonian-language education arose in 2022, when, as a political surprise, the government of the Reform Party and the Center Party fell apart and Isamaa took over the management of the Ministry of Education and Research. Public support for the transition to Estonian-language education was ensured by Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, which began at the beginning of the year, showing the majority of society that the demand to continue with the Russian language of education was only part of an aggressive chauvinist attitude supported by Russia and that an independent country must not submit to it.

Isamaa took the initiative

When concluding and later implementing the coalition agreement between the Reform Party, Isamaa and the Social Democratic Party government formed for a short period of time (July 2022 - April 2023), Isamaa strongly adhered to the goal of transitioning to Estonian-language education, and that's how it came true. Not quite exactly on the basis of the radical plan (by courses over three years), which we had already implemented in Tartu when we shared power with the same partners and which I now presented at the national level, but still at a much faster pace than the Reform Party and SDE expected.

There was also a rush at that moment because, in addition to Ukrainian war refugees, the number of Russian-speaking immigrants, who cannot be left only in the Russian-language information and influence field due to a lack of language skills, had started to rise in kindergartens and schools.

Already when the coalition agreement was concluded, the Social Democrats tried to significantly dilute the transition plan and not set deadlines. This ended up being the tensest topic of the negotiations, but Isamaa did not give in. In a few months during this short-lived government, we prepared a law and an action plan. This was a victory!

It can be said with certainty that without constant pressure from Isamaa, the transition to Estonian-language education would look different – it would not be as fast and complete, and instead of a completely Estonian-language school, would likely mean that students from Estonian- and Russian-language schools would only be put together in one school, a so-called unified school or essentially a bilingual open school, as the educational ideologues of the Social Democrats wanted. Estonia 200, which at that time was not among the decision-makers in the Riigikogu and which is now responsible for implementing the transition, also talked about a longer and softer transition instead.

Estonian children must not suffer

One of the important goals of the transition was to get new teachers who had studied in Estonia, were Estonian-minded and who would not have a language barrier in order to participate in, for example, additional training, to join schools that until now had been Russian-language schools. The decline in the level of subject education and the weakness of the teaching of the Estonian language in Russian schools have caused families with a first language other than Estonian to send their children to Estonian-language schools in recent years. This, in turn, has created serious pressure for teachers there, who have to deal with students of different language levels. Estonian children, who received less attention, suffered as a result. That is why the Estonian language had to be brought to the Russian school, so that the Russian language environment does not take over Estonian schools.

If the drop in the level of education makes families with a first language other than Estonian send their children to Estonian-language schools, it creates an overload for teachers and Estonian children suffer. That is why the Estonian language had to be brought to the Russian school, so that the Russian language environment does not take over Estonian schools.

During the power negotiations in Tallinn, Isamaa’s demand was that if families with Estonian as their first language do not want it, then their children cannot be sent to schools that are still transitioning to Estonian-language education and where part of the education is still provided in Russian. Our demand was that children with absolutely no linguistic preparation could not be sent to the classes of Estonian-language schools so that Estonian children would instead end up in a Russian-speaking growth environment and parents would suddenly find themselves at a Russian-language parents' meeting.

Because such a thing has already happened in Tallinn’s Lasnamäe district before the start of the transition, we submitted a law amendment in the Riigikogu, which requires that Estonian-speaking children must be able to study in a class where the majority of the students speak Estonian as their home language. Of course, if necessary, schools must ensure this by teaching children in smaller groups.

The role of the Estonian language in the country determines the success of the transition

A supportive language environment is also important when introducing education in the Estonian language. The need becomes obvious to families, teachers and students when the Estonian language is dominant in public spaces and proficiency in it is the only conceivable option when it comes to getting work, information and services. It would also shape the attitude. The fact that half of basic school graduates do not know Estonian at the elementary level is the result of the bad example of parents as well as school principals and teachers, who have so far had a lax attitude towards language learning.

Establishing Estonian language requirements and requiring their fulfillment has been as volatile a process as the transition to learning in the Estonian language. The government has established the Estonian language proficiency level requirements for teachers on three occasions – 1999, 2008 and 2022. On all three occasions, I was the minister of education responsible for language policy who made the corresponding proposals and implemented them in the government. Unfortunately, after all three times, the state has behaved submissively and subsequent governments have made concessions in these requirements.

The need becomes obvious to families, teachers and students when the Estonian language is dominant in public spaces and proficiency in it is the only conceivable option when it comes to getting work, information and services.

The last time it happened was this summer, when the current government decided to give an extension to teachers of schools transitioning to Estonian-language education, thereby deceiving those demanding school principals and diligent teachers who had done everything necessary in time; making concessions to those who have not taken the official language seriously so far. Absolutely unacceptable! I repeat – these language requirements have been in effect since 1999 and not only for teachers, but also for other positions where knowledge of the official language is necessary.

We will only reach the set goal, ensuring an Estonian-speaking and Estonian-minded society, if the set action plan is implemented consistently and without deviation. There is a demanding finish line ahead.

I wish teachers, schools and also the minister of education and research strength in carrying out the transition!