Draft law (447 SE) for amending the Education Act of the Republic of Estonia and amending other laws accordingly (establishing compulsory schooling) – Second Reading
Session: 15th Riigikogu, 4th session, plenary sitting
Date: 2024-11-21 00:41
Participating Politicians:
Total Speeches: 52
Membership: 15
Agenda Duration: 55m
AI Summaries: 52/52 Speeches (100.0%)
Analysis: Structured Analysis
Politicians Speaking Time
Politicians
Analysis
Summary
Bill 447 concerns an amendment to the Education Act of the Republic of Estonia and the associated adaptation of other laws to establish a duty to learn. The purpose of the amendment is to replace the existing school obligation with a duty to learn, lasting until the age of 18, and to specify the roles of the state and local governments in ensuring the fulfillment of the duty to learn. Flexibility in learning will also be increased: the creation of a basis for recognizing non-formal learning will be established in general education schools, and the connection between gymnasium subject courses and credit points used in vocational and higher education will be described. Furthermore, there is consideration of conducting stationary general education also in vocational institutions in the future. The bill received approval on first reading, and the cultural committee incorporated opinions from interest groups. Several parties and interest groups participated in the debate, discussing funding, administrative burden on municipalities, support for young people, the coping of NEET young people, and the future of the school network. The sessions held on October 14, November 12, and November 18 focused on the discussion of amendment proposals and the topics of European Union funding utilization and impact analysis.
This is a complex and resource-intensive reform aimed at improving the prevention of school dropout and providing better learning opportunities linked to working life, but its implementation requires precise funding, cooperation with municipalities and schools, and a thorough impact analysis.
Decisions Made 2
The Culture Committee made a proposal to include the bill for a second reading on the agenda of the Riigikogu plenary session on November 20th and to conclude the second reading; if the second reading is concluded, the committee’s proposal is to include the bill for a third reading on the agenda of the Riigikogu plenary session on December 4th of this year and to carry out the final vote on the bill.
The proposal presented by the Estonian Centre Party faction to interrupt the second reading failed in a vote (meaning the second reading was halted), meaning the Riigikogu majority did not support the proposal. The vote result: 10 in favor, 51 against, 0 abstentions.
Most Active Speaker
A representative of the Ministry of Education and Research; a representative of the coalition parties for the minister. This concerns the activities of a specialist holding the position of a central official (representative of the government), and therefore their presence is largely the greatest and most frequent during Riigikogu sittings.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
Today we move on to the agenda item that concerns the Government-initiated law amending the Estonian Education Act and, in connection therewith, amendments to other laws (establishing a learning obligation) — draft bill No. 447 in its second reading, and the presenter is Heljo Pikhof, the chair of the Culture Committee.
Heljo Pikhof
Profiling Sotsiaaldemokraatliku Erakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Heljo Pikhof explains that Bill 447 replaces compulsory school attendance with an obligation to learn until turning 18, expanding young people’s educational pathways and adding systemic support between the state, municipalities, and schools, and taking non-formal education and parental involvement into account, but highlighting concerns about funding, workload, and resources and the need to involve stakeholders’ opinions.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
Vice-Chairman Arvo Aller invited questions and asked Lauri Laats to take the floor.
Lauri Laats
Profiling Eesti Keskerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
The speaker emphasizes that the bill restricts free retraining for adults in vocational education and asks how a change of specialization would take place and what its prerequisites and obligations are.
Heljo Pikhof
Profiling Sotsiaaldemokraatliku Erakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Heljo Pikhof notes that you cannot study for free at the same time in both higher education and vocational education: at present this is possible, but in the future not, and after graduating from higher education there will be no free places in vocational education for ten years, and if a qualification is obtained, a five-year ban on free study applies; changing the field of study is nevertheless possible.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
Vice-Chairman Arvo Aller asks Andres Metsojat to come and deliver a speech.
Andres Metsoja
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Andres Metsoja pointed out that establishing the learning obligation requires additional resources for 1,200–1,500 students, although the bill’s drafters claim that it can be managed with existing resources, which creates an imbalance and highlights the problem related to municipalities’ current obligations, and he asked for a comment on this.
Heljo Pikhof
Profiling Sotsiaaldemokraatliku Erakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
The draft bill provides additional funding, and local authorities will continue to be responsible for monitoring the fulfillment of the obligation to study and for maintaining ongoing cooperation with schools, in order to intervene in situations where the obligation is not fulfilled, and there is funding available to work with NEET youths.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
The deputy chairman Arvo Aller calls Priit Sibul to act.
Priit Sibul
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Priit Sibul emphasizes that extending education to age 18 requires additional resources, support staff, and an individualized approach for students with special needs, and asks where these resources will come from and why there is a desire to close schools for students with special needs.
Heljo Pikhof
Profiling Sotsiaaldemokraatliku Erakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Heljo Pikhof asks to clarify the question, promises to find a precise answer regarding the specific means, and confirms that for the additional year there are financial resources available, but there are no numbers at the moment, and she apologizes.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
At the beginning of the speech, Aivar Kokk is asked to come up and speak.
Aivar Kokk
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
There is no money for this in the state budget, and Aivar Kokk asked the Finance Committee to show where this line item is located, and asked whether the claim that a person who has completed vocational education, having obtained gymnasium education, cannot receive free higher education, is incorrect, or whether the Social Democrats support such a restriction.
Heljo Pikhof
Profiling Sotsiaaldemokraatliku Erakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Heljo Pikhof expresses that she does not understand the question.
Aivar Kokk
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Aivar Kokk asks whether after obtaining free vocational education it is no longer possible to go to university, although up to now it has been possible, and vocational education usually also includes secondary education.
Heljo Pikhof
Profiling Sotsiaaldemokraatliku Erakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
After vocational education, you can go on to university.
Aivar Kokk
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Aivar Kokk said briefly: "Ah, okay," he added that they had simply gotten lost, and ended by saying "okay".
Heljo Pikhof
Profiling Sotsiaaldemokraatliku Erakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Heljo Pikhof said that coming to the venue is free.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
This is merely a request to invite Lauri Laats to speak.
Lauri Laats
Profiling Eesti Keskerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Lauri Laats said that the current draft bill goes somewhat against a second draft bill, which allows 16-year-olds to vote and 18-year-olds to stand for election to the European Parliament, and added that if an 18-year-old is elected, the law obliges them to continue their studies, which raises the question of how this would work in practice.
Heljo Pikhof
Profiling Sotsiaaldemokraatliku Erakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
They emphasize that the obligation to study lasts until the age of 18, and if studies are unfinished, it is important that the person returns and continues studying.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
Deputy Chairman Arvo Aller invited Margit Sutrop to speak.
Margit Sutrop
Profiling Eesti Reformierakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Margit Sutrop asks whether the restriction under the law means that you cannot study again at the same level if you have completed vocational training within five years, and that you cannot enter vocational training after completing it, and if you have enrolled in higher education studies, it is not possible to receive free vocational education at the same time.
Heljo Pikhof
Profiling Sotsiaaldemokraatliku Erakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Heljo Pikhof confirmed that this is so.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
The vice-chairman Arvo Aller asks Andres Metsoja.
Andres Metsoja
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Andres Metsoja pointed out that the draft expands the circle of fare-free passengers and will come into force on September 1, 2025, but to meet the European Court's ruling requirements, compensating carriers for ticket revenue raises a funding issue and whether the necessary funding has already been allocated.
Heljo Pikhof
Profiling Sotsiaaldemokraatliku Erakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Thanks for the question, but it wasn’t discussed in the committee as part of this bill.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
The speech was simply a plea to invite Aivar Kokk onto the stage.
Aivar Kokk
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Aivar Kokk discusses how free vocational education and free higher education work, what rights and timelines apply to them, and why talented young people cannot simultaneously obtain both types of education, but must wait for the next cycle.
Heljo Pikhof
Profiling Sotsiaaldemokraatliku Erakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Heljo Pikhof explains that talented people may finish vocational education and gain a tuition-free place at a university, but at the same time using both free places is not permitted under state funding.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
He thanks.
Heljo Pikhof
Profiling Sotsiaaldemokraatliku Erakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Acquiring vocational education together with having secondary education opens up the possibility of entering university.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
With thanks to the presenter, the negotiations are opened, and the first speaker is Vadim Belobrovtsev.
Vadim Belobrovtsev
Profiling Eesti Keskerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
The Centre Party faction does not support the bill because it tries to solve national problems through local authorities by extending the learning obligation, but there is no impact assessment or financial analysis, and there is an accompanying administrative burden and additional costs, therefore the second reading should be halted.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
They thank and ask Margit Sutrop to take the floor.
Margit Sutrop
Profiling Eesti Reformierakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Margit Sutrop emphasizes that the bill raises the compulsory schooling age to 7–18 years and adds one additional year after basic education in order to reduce school dropout and improve young people's qualifications through vocational education, and thereby places emphasis on the responsibilities of the state, local governments, and parents, as well as the need to reform vocational education and strengthen the learner's responsibility.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
They are asking for three more minutes.
Margit Sutrop
Profiling Eesti Reformierakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Margit Sutrop emphasizes that the education system must become more flexible with a vocational orientation and provide after basic education the option to choose either vocational training or a gymnasium, in order to restore human dignity and self-confidence, and for this it requires better teacher training, support specialists, and funding, whose long-term impact could be up to €98,000 in financial return per person when secondary education is reached.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
The speech calls for action, because your time has come.
Margit Sutrop
Profiling Eesti Reformierakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
The presentation claims that the real gain is larger because we save on the costs of social welfare, healthcare, police—and perhaps even prison—and a large part of problematic behavior stems from people being unable to enter the labor market and cope there, which is why there is a need to rethink a very large and complex set of problems.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
The vice-chair Arvo Aller thanked the audience.
Margit Sutrop
Profiling Eesti Reformierakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Margit Sutrop emphasizes that these issues must be dealt with, hopes that this step is in the right direction, and asks the Reform Party to support the bill.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
Next up on stage is Andres Metsoja.
Andres Metsoja
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
In his presentation, Andres Metsoja noted that although Estonia's education system has developed since regaining independence, municipalities face unsustainable project-based funding and the end of European Union support funds threatens the life of schools and young people; therefore there is a need for cooperation between the state and municipalities, for support for families, and for stable, long-term funding to ensure high-quality education and schooling for children with special needs.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
The vice-chairman Arvo Aller asked for two more minutes.
Andres Metsoja
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
According to Metsoja, there is a large mismatch between ideas and reality: the maintenance of schools costs tens of thousands of euros, while around 4 million euros from European funds are promised for system improvements, and every change must be carefully analyzed and funded, because otherwise it will undermine trust, the education system, and the country's future.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
This is a short request to invite Aivar Kokk onto the stage.
Aivar Kokk
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Aivar Kokk expressed concern and criticism about the draft proposal, noting that the obligation to extend the duration of studies creates confusion in the path after basic education, does not provide clear solutions as to whether it should be gymnasium or vocational education, and, recalling previous decisions to close vocational schools, emphasizes the need to involve practitioners and to create systemic, functioning solutions.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
He asks that he be given three more minutes.
Aivar Kokk
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
The presentation emphasizes that Estonia's early childhood education is world-class, that vocational and higher education are fragmented, and it recommends giving everyone one free vocational education and one free higher education, but for the next round further study will have to be paid out of pocket.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
After reviewing the amendment proposals of five culture committees and the leading committee's proposal to terminate the second reading of Bill 447, we begin the vote on the Estonian Centre Party faction's proposal to suspend the second reading of Bill 447.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
Ten members of the Riigikogu supported the interruption of the second reading; 51 were against, 0 abstentions, therefore the proposal did not gain support and the second reading has been completed.