Education policy
Session: Fifteenth Riigikogu, sixth sitting, press briefing.
Date: 2025-09-17 16:13
Participating Politicians:
Total Speeches: 19
Membership: 15
Agenda Duration: 6m
AI Summaries: 19/19 Speeches (100.0%)
Analysis: Structured Analysis
Politicians Speaking Time
Politicians
Analysis
Summary
The sixth question of the Information Hour addressed education policy in Hiiumaa, focusing on the planned merger of Hiiumaa Gymnasium and Suuremõisa Vocational School. Riigikogu member Reili Rand expressed deep concern, accusing the government (the Reform Party) of dismantling a functioning education system and ignoring the opinion of the local community. Rand highlighted the unambiguous opposition on the island, as well as questions regarding the sustainability of the vocational school and the future of the culturally significant Suuremõisa Manor. She also criticized the Minister of Education’s inability to visit Hiiumaa.
Prime Minister Kristen Michal responded by emphasizing that secondary education in Hiiumaa would be preserved, as he had promised during his summer visit. He directed more detailed questions about education policy to the Minister of Education. In a follow-up question, Tiit Maran criticized the Ministry of Education’s "mechanistic" approach and cited the example of a Culture Committee meeting where officials promised to consider the importance of preserving Suuremõisa Vocational School, but the ministry continued implementing the decisions, essentially rendering the committee’s work meaningless. Michal briefly confirmed that committee decisions do play a role. Rand then accused the Prime Minister of employing a rhetorical trick and minimizing the resistance of Hiiumaa residents as mere "fine-tuning," which the Prime Minister categorically rejected, confirming his support for Hiiumaa and promising to take the community’s views into account when selecting the school’s name.
Decisions Made 1
No decisions were made
Most Active Speaker
Member of Parliament Reili Rand was the most active speaker, presenting both the initial question and a sharp clarifying follow-up, criticizing the government's actions regarding the Hiiumaa education reform. (Other)
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The Chairman continues and announces that the sixth question, on the topic of education policy, is addressed to Prime Minister Kristen Michal and will be presented by Riigikogu member Reili Rand.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar introduced the sixth item on the agenda, which concerned education policy and had been submitted to Prime Minister Kristen Michal by Riigikogu member Reili Rand, subsequently giving the floor to Rand.
Reili Rand
Profiling Sotsiaaldemokraatliku Erakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Reili Rand voiced profound concern regarding the future of Hiiumaa’s education system. She criticized the government and the Reform Party for using the vocational education reform as a pretext to dismantle a functioning gymnasium and vocational school, all without consulting the local community. She is now demanding an explanation from the Prime Minister as to why the school merger, which has drawn fierce opposition from the islanders, is being aggressively pushed through, especially given that the Minister of Education hasn't even bothered to visit the island to provide answers.
Reili Rand
Profiling Sotsiaaldemokraatliku Erakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Reili Rand expresses profound concern and indignation over the ongoing vocational education reform in Hiiumaa, which is dismantling a functioning education system and a strong gymnasium. She emphasizes that the government and the Reform Party are making decisions about merging schools without consulting the local community, despite the unequivocal opposition of Hiiumaa residents. Furthermore, she demands explanations from the Prime Minister as to why the future of Hiiumaa's education is being decided without providing answers or taking the local population into account.
Reili Rand
Profiling Sotsiaaldemokraatliku Erakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Reili Rand is accusing the government and the Reform Party of failing to involve local communities in decisions regarding the future of education in Hiiumaa. She also stresses her opposition to merging the gymnasium and the vocational school, and expresses concern over the culturally significant future of Suuremõisa Manor.
Peaminister Kristen Michal
AI Summary
Prime Minister Kristen Michal confirmed while on Hiiumaa that the Hiiumaa Gymnasium will remain open, and stressed that the Minister of Education is accessible and can be asked any and all questions.
Peaminister Kristen Michal
AI Summary
Prime Minister Kristen Michal confirmed that the Hiiumaa Gymnasium would be preserved, referencing his summer promise made on the island and the identical stance of the Minister of Education. He also expressed surprise that the question was being directed to him rather than to the directly available Minister of Education.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar gives his thanks and announces that his colleague Tiit Maran will pose the follow-up question.
Tiit Maran
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Tiit Maran raises the issue of preserving the Suuremõisa vocational school, emphasizing its importance to Hiiumaa's entrepreneurs and culture, but criticizes the Ministry of Education's actions. He notes that the Ministry ignored the unanimous position of the Culture Committee—that the developments surrounding the school are unacceptable—and made decisions prior to the scheduled autumn discussion, thereby calling into question the role of committees and the importance of their decisions in guiding ministerial activities.
Tiit Maran
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Tiit Maran emphasizes the vital importance of the Suuremõisa vocational school for Hiiumaa's business community and culture, and criticizes the Ministry of Education's mechanistic approach, which disregarded the unanimous position of the Culture Committee regarding the necessity of preserving the school. He goes on to question whether the decisions made by committees actually carry any weight whatsoever when it comes to ministerial actions, or if they are merely glorified talking shops.
Tiit Maran
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Tiit Maran emphasized the crucial role of Hiiumaa, and specifically the Suuremõisa vocational school, for entrepreneurs. He criticized the mechanistic approach being taken toward vocational education and highlighted the culture committee's promise to secure sustainable funding and revisit the issue in the autumn. However, the process involving the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Culture has moved forward, while the discussion within the Ministry of Culture has stalled. This raises the question of whether the committee’s decisions actually carry any weight from the prime minister's point of view.
Peaminister Kristen Michal
AI Summary
Prime Minister Kristen Michal confirmed that commissions have a role.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar offered his thanks and then gave the floor to Reili Ranna so she could ask her clarifying question.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The Chair thanked them and asked Reili Rand to pose a clarifying question.
Reili Rand
Profiling Sotsiaaldemokraatliku Erakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Reili Rand notes that the preservation of the Hiiumaa Gymnasium is merely the Prime Minister's rhetoric, and in reality, the merger of the two schools will change the school's name and identity, regarding which the Hiiumaa community has submitted questions and objections, and she hopes to receive answers from the government. At the same time, she emphasizes that the message intended for the islanders is simple — the merger of the gymnasium and the vocational school — and the opposition will not stop it.
Reili Rand
Profiling Sotsiaaldemokraatliku Erakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Reili Rand accuses the Prime Minister, stating that his assurance regarding the preservation of high school education in Hiiumaa is merely a rhetorical trick, as the merging of schools and the name change damages the community's identity. Furthermore, she finds that the government considers the strong opposition from Hiiumaa residents to this step to be nothing more than trivial fine-tuning, ignoring the questions and objections raised by the community.
Peaminister Kristen Michal
AI Summary
Prime Minister Kristen Michal denies having spoken about "fine-tuning" or the opposition from Hiiumaa residents. He confirms that high school education will be maintained for Hiiumaa, that the community's opinion will be considered when selecting the name, and expresses clear support for Hiiumaa.
Peaminister Kristen Michal
AI Summary
Prime Minister Kristen Michal sharply rejected the claims attributed to her regarding education in Hiiumaa, denying the use of the words "fine-tuning" and suggesting that the questioner's narrative sounded like a conspiracy theory. She asserted, on the contrary, that she supports Hiiumaa, promising the preservation of gymnasium education and that the community's position would be taken into account when choosing the name.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The Chairman thanks everyone and announces that the consideration of today's sixth item is concluded.