Interpellation Regarding the Unified Estonian School (No. 544)
Session: 15th Riigikogu, 3rd session, plenary sitting
Date: 2024-04-08 20:27
Participating Politicians:
Total Speeches: 37
Membership: 15
Agenda Duration: 50m
AI Summaries: 37/37 Speeches (100.0%)
Analysis: Structured Analysis
Politicians Speaking Time
Politicians
Analysis
Summary
The Riigikogu debated, as the fourth item on the agenda, Interpellation No. 544 submitted by the EKRE faction, which concerned the creation of a unified Estonian-language school and the risks associated with it. The interpellation was submitted by Henn Põlluaas, who sharply criticized the government's (Reform Party, Eesti 200, Social Democrats) plan, claiming that it would lead to the emergence of genuinely Soviet-style, multicultural Estonian-Russian mixed schools and was aimed at destroying the national identity of Estonians and promoting Russification, even calling it "criminal genocide." Põlluaas emphasized that mixed schools would result in a decline in the quality of education and an increase in social tensions, especially considering the high proportion of non-native speaking students.
Minister of Education and Research Kristina Kallas categorically rejected the accusations, emphasizing that a unified Estonian school represents the opposite process—it is about integration, aimed at ensuring Russian-speaking children acquire proficiency in the Estonian language and adopt the values of the Estonian cultural space. Kallas provided examples of successfully operating Estonian-language schools in Pärnu and Kiviõli and explained that the transition is necessary because the parallel Russian-language education system has failed to ensure sufficient language proficiency over the past 30 years. The debate also addressed the impact of immigration, the lack of Estonian-language study places in Ida-Virumaa, and the education of children with special educational needs (SEN). The Minister confirmed that SEN children are not excluded from the transition to Estonian-language instruction and refuted claims that they would be unable to study in a second language. The Minister also promised to improve the system for paying salary supplements to teachers in Ida-Virumaa. Finally, Tõnis Lukas (Isamaa) supported the transition, emphasizing that the main goal is full Estonian-language instruction, not ideological compromises.
Decisions Made 1
Decisions were not made
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Under four agenda items, the interpellation concerning a unified Estonian school, submitted on June 14, 2023, is addressed. The submitters of the interpellation are Henn Põlluaasa, Martin Helme, Rene Koka, Siim Pohlaku, Evelin Poolametsa, Arvo Alleri, Helle-Moonika Helme, Jaak Valge, Kert Kingo, and Mart Helme, and Henn Põlluaasa is invited to the Riigikogu rostrum to deliver the presentation.
Henn Põlluaas
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
In his presentation, Henn Põlluaas accuses the government that, through the planned unified Estonian school, the coalition is creating multicultural Estonian-Russian and Ukrainian mixed schools, which threaten the Estonian language and national identity, and which, according to him, constitute genocide.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Toomas Kivimägi emphasized the importance of name pronunciation, noting that there are two Kristinas—Kristina Šmigun-Vähi and Kristina Kallas—and asked Minister of Education and Research Kristina Kallas to respond to the Riigikogu's interpellation.
Haridus- ja teadusminister Kristina Kallas
AI Summary
Kristina Kallas emphasized that the unified Estonian school is not a Russification project, but rather an integration process where Russian-speaking children acquire the Estonian language and cultural space. She added that examples from the Estonian-language school located in the city of Pärnu and Kiviõli I Secondary School prove how instruction in Estonian works, and that language proficiency levels must be addressed separately.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Vice-Chairman Toomas Kivimägi requested that the Minister speak without interruption, and that there would be time afterwards to clarify any remaining points through questions.
Haridus- ja teadusminister Kristina Kallas
AI Summary
Kristina Kallas emphasizes that, pursuant to the Estonian Constitution, a unified Estonian-language school must be established and quality Estonian-language education must be offered to all children. This involves integrating Russian- and other-language children into Estonian culture and language, rather than mandating compulsory Russian language instruction, while stressing the importance of acquiring two foreign languages. She further affirms that Russian-speaking youth are part of Estonia’s national culture.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Thank you. We now move to the Q&A session, and Jaak Valge is invited to take the floor.
Jaak Valge
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Jaak Valge pointed out that approximately 106,246 people arrived in Estonia between 2017 and 2022 (excluding the return migration of Estonians and Ukrainian refugees). If the normal annual flow were around 12,400, he asked, how is the future of a unified Estonian-language school envisioned when over 12,000 non-Estonian speakers arrive annually? He stressed that this figure is several times higher than the number of people we are capable of teaching Estonian fluently, both to adults and within the Estonian-language school system.
Haridus- ja teadusminister Kristina Kallas
AI Summary
The Minister of Education and Research, Kristina Kallas, stated that over the last two years, approximately 9,000 children, primarily from Ukraine, have entered general and pre-primary education. About 80% of these children study in Estonian-language schools supported by additional Estonian language lessons. Furthermore, about 11% of Russian-speaking children study in Estonian-language schools, where their mathematics results were comparable, and the test results of Russian-speaking children studying in Estonian-language schools were often higher, which demonstrates the successful integration of children from other language backgrounds into the Estonian language environment.
Rain Epler
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Rain Epler points out that many Estonian-language schools are being closed in Estonia, while at the same time there are not enough Estonian-language study places available to enroll Russian-speaking children into Estonian-language education, and he calls on the minister to explain this contradiction.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Deputy Speaker Toomas Kivimägi asks Rain Epler to come forward.
Haridus- ja teadusminister Kristina Kallas
AI Summary
Kristina Kallas said that the problem is geographical: in locations where children would like to study in Estonian, there are not enough Estonian-language schools, and in locations where there are vacancies in Estonian-language schools, there are no Russian-speaking children to enroll there.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
He/She confirms that a chairperson isn't needed and that you can handle it among yourselves, but requests that we speak in turn, and that the expression of emotions is permitted.
Haridus- ja teadusminister Kristina Kallas
AI Summary
Kristina Kallas stressed that children in Narva must be guaranteed a place in an Estonian-language first grade, and the city has expanded opportunities, making Estonian-language basic schools attractive and prioritizing Estonian-language schooling in Narva.
Arvo Aller
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Arvo Aller criticizes the closure of schools in Ida-Viru County and the 20-kilometer commute faced by seventh-grade students, and he asks what an Estonian-language school should actually be: is it teaching in Estonian, or is it teaching the Estonian language to students whose native language is different?
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The address is merely an invitation for Arvo Aller to speak.
Haridus- ja teadusminister Kristina Kallas
AI Summary
Kristina Kallas told the Riigikogu that the basic school in Toila will remain, the gymnasium will be closed, and 16-year-old students who have completed basic school must travel 15 kilometers away to the Jõhvi State Gymnasium, and that Estonian-language education means that instruction takes place in the Estonian language.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Deputy Chairman Toomas Kivimägi called upon Tõnis Lukas to speak.
Tõnis Lukas
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
They recall the Soviet-era bilingual schools in Ida-Virumaa and criticize the one-sided integration approach, asking how people are reacting to the recently published study which shows that 50% of the Russian-speaking population is against the transition to the Estonian language, noting that this figure has increased.
Haridus- ja teadusminister Kristina Kallas
AI Summary
Minister of Education and Research Kristina Kallas stated that surveys primarily indicate conditional opposition, noting that the transition of schools to Estonian-language instruction is mostly complete. However, the greater worry is the lack of Estonian-speaking group teachers in kindergartens. Furthermore, parental opposition is conditional, centering on the teachers' capacity to deliver high-quality teaching in front of the class.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
This is a brief appeal to Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart.
Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart
Profiling Eesti Keskerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
The speaker asks why local municipalities are offering special provisions for the transition of children with special educational needs (SEN) and why the coalition is framing the resistance to Estonian-language instruction in such a way, even though this actually concerns the children who require the most assistance, and emphasizes the shortage of support specialists, including Estonian-speaking psychologists.
Haridus- ja teadusminister Kristina Kallas
AI Summary
Kristina Kallas said that Maardu did not submit an extension application for children with special needs, while Narva and Tallinn submitted applications for small classes, which the government commission is currently reviewing. Furthermore, according to the Rajaleidja assessment, the children in Narva do not have a diagnosis that would pose an obstacle to the transition to Estonian-language instruction. However, the problem lies in teacher qualifications, and what is needed is an individualized curriculum adapted for each child, along with a one-year extension to ensure the transition to Estonian-language instruction and sustainable development for all children.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Vice-Chairman Toomas Kivimägi calls upon Vadim Belobrovtsev to speak.
Vadim Belobrovtsev
Profiling Eesti Keskerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Belobrovtsev raises two questions: who works at Rajaleidja, and whether people with medical education know better than doctors which children will succeed in learning foreign languages. He also notes that experienced educators are leaving and incompetent people are being hired to replace them, which calls into question the quality of children's education.
Haridus- ja teadusminister Kristina Kallas
AI Summary
While there is extensive scientific literature globally concerning second-language acquisition for children with special needs, no research conclusively proves that such learning is impossible. Furthermore, the doctor who issues the diagnosis does not determine the educational approach; instead, special education teachers and psychologists working in the Rajaleidja centers make that decision. They use an evidence-based approach to determine whether the child requires placement in a small class, intensive support, or general instruction.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Deputy Speaker Toomas Kivimägi requests Aleksei Jevgrafov to come forward.
Aleksei Jevgrafov
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
He/She asked the minister why the teachers teaching in Estonian in Ida-Viru County were not paid their salary supplement in January and February, and what steps should be taken to ensure that this doesn't happen again in the future and that teachers receive their extra pay promptly.
Haridus- ja teadusminister Kristina Kallas
AI Summary
Kristina Kallas stated that previous delays in the salary support application rounds were due to local governments being late in submitting documents and language proficiency data. Going forward, payments will be processed incrementally, based on completed documentation. Furthermore, the deadline for September reports was moved up to ensure that teachers definitely receive their September salary supplement in October. She added that the process needs improvement.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Vice-Chairman Toomas Kivimägi invited Evelin Poolamets to speak.
Evelin Poolamets
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Following the shocking incident of violence that occurred at Valga Basic School, Evelin Poolamets voiced concerns about how children interact with one another. She also questioned whether linguistic diversity—particularly in a school with Russian-speaking students—contributes to increased stress and violence.
Haridus- ja teadusminister Kristina Kallas
AI Summary
Minister of Education and Research Kristina Kallas said that the incident at Valga basic school was not due to a conflict based on nationality or a linguistic misunderstanding. She noted that, to her knowledge, there have been no nationality-based conflicts in schools in recent years, and significant conflicts of that nature are absent among today's youth.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Toomas Kivimägi thanked Kristina Kallas, stating that the answers were concrete and well-informed. He acknowledged that not all the responses were pleasant, but noted there was no reason to fault the lack of information, and subsequently opened the negotiations by inviting Tõnis Lukas to speak.
Tõnis Lukas
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
He/She emphasizes that the transition to Estonian-language instruction must be carried out unequivocally and completely in all schools, and that integration must be based on the use of the Estonian language, while simultaneously highlighting the inadequate Estonian language teaching in Russian-language schools, the decline in language proficiency caused by COVID, and the influence of the attitude of school leaders and teachers, which compels children to study in an Estonian-language school.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The speaker requests three additional minutes.
Tõnis Lukas
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Tõnis Lukas emphasizes that the transition to Estonian-language instruction must be accelerated based on the agreement, but it needs to be implemented carefully and phased, taking into account students with varying levels of preparation, ensuring financial support for teachers, and avoiding ideological posturing or scaring parents, so that the established main objective is not lost.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Deputy Speaker Toomas Kivimägi declares the debate closed and has concluded the proceedings on this agenda item.