Sunlight money to municipalities
Session: 15th Riigikogu, 5th sitting, press briefing
Date: 2025-04-16 15:57
Participating Politicians:
Total Speeches: 13
Membership: 15
Agenda Duration: 13m
AI Summaries: 13/13 Speeches (100.0%)
Analysis: Structured Analysis
Politicians Speaking Time
Politicians
Analysis
Summary
Today, the fifth question was addressed to the Minister of Education and Research, Kristina Kallas. The questioner was Member of the Riigikogu Vadim Belobrovtsev, and the topic was compulsory payments to municipalities, focusing on the legal basis of the matter, the understanding derived from the law, and the overall situation regarding the qualifications of teachers. The issue of legal challenges and oversight was raised using the example of Järva municipality, where compulsory payments were first implemented, and where the question arises as to how to resolve this widely prevalent problem in municipalities and where to find qualified teachers. In addition, a broader context was touched upon regarding the fulfillment of teacher qualification requirements, ensuring the quality of education, and the ministry's role in that process. This was followed by a longer discussion placed on the agenda concerning the importance of teacher recruitment and career models, which should improve the acquisition of teacher qualifications and the impact of salaries on continued employment.
Decisions Made 1
Decisions were not made; the discussion continues, and the steps between the ministry and the Riigikogu regarding the topic, including the legal basis and career models, need to be more precisely defined.
Most Active Speaker
The most active representative was Vadim Belobrovtsev (speaking), a member of the Riigikogu and a representative of the opposition faction. As one of the questioners, he drew attention to the effect of coercive funds, the legality of qualification requirements, and the general need for and succession of teachers; his role and manner of speaking appear as expressions of the opposition’s position in parliamentary debate.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Riigikogu member Vadim Belobrovtsev poses today's fifth question to the Minister of Education and Science Kristina Kallas on the topic of mandatory payments to municipalities.
Vadim Belobrovtsev
Profiling Eesti Keskerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Belobrovtsev said that the Järva municipality received a €3,000 fine from the Ministry of Education and Science due to an insufficient number of qualified teachers; the municipality intends to sue because the ministry's justification is absent, and in Estonia there are nearly 4,200 teachers whose qualifications do not meet the requirements (about 20%), and only about 3% of schools have all teachers qualified, which raises the question of where municipalities will find qualified teachers.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The Speaker Lauri Hussar appeals to the minister with a request.
Haridus- ja teadusminister Kristina Kallas
AI Summary
Kristina Kallas said that in Järva municipality 65% of teachers meet the qualification requirements and 35% do not; the deadline has been extended for four years to July 1, 2024, and school authorities have an obligation and an opportunity to ensure that teachers acquire a qualification — this can be done both at the university and at the employer on the basis of a portfolio — without dismissing anyone.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Now it's your time.
Haridus- ja teadusminister Kristina Kallas
AI Summary
Education and Science Minister Kristina Kallas stresses that the same thing must not be done repeatedly.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The discussion continues, because Vadim Belobrovtsev has a clarifying question.
Vadim Belobrovtsev
Profiling Eesti Keskerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Belobrovtsev emphasizes that in Estonia the supply of new teachers remains tight, with about 3% of schools meeting qualification requirements, and in public schools 50–60% of teachers do not meet them, and he submits to the Ministry of Education and Science questions about the accuracy of the numbers, the work carried out in the last two years, the causes of the deficit, and plans for next year’s salary-related measures.
Haridus- ja teadusminister Kristina Kallas
AI Summary
Education and Science Minister Kristina Kallas said that the shortage of teachers does not stem solely from training, and the solution is a career model that values the teaching profession and the certification of competencies and motivates teachers to obtain them, which she hopes to have approved by the Riigikogu through an amendment to the law.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The chair thanks and informs that the additional question will be posed by his colleague Vladimir Arhipov.
Vladimir Arhipov
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Arhipov notes that the higher pay for teachers in Ida-Virumaa could attract teachers from across Estonia to one place and increase regional inequality, and he asks whether salaries will eventually be equalized.
Haridus- ja teadusminister Kristina Kallas
AI Summary
Education and Science Minister Kristina Kallas said that for the transition of Ida-Viru County to Estonian-language instruction, salary subsidies for teachers who know Estonian are important, lasting until 2030 and up to the ninth grade, and they have brought more than 500 new teachers to the region and show an increase in the number of teachers, and she hopes that Tallinn will also raise teachers' salaries.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The chair, Lauri Hussar, thanks and announces that the consideration of today's fifth question is concluded and that we will move on briskly.