Agenda Profile: Riina Solman

The political stance takes a highly critical view of the Ministry of Education's recent changes regarding the organization of basic school final exams and gymnasium admissions. It is emphasized that moving the exam dates forward has caused significant concern among children, parents, and teachers, increased the overall workload, and jeopardized the quality of education. The position is strongly focused on improving policy effectiveness, demanding that the state ensure quality and take children's mental health into account. The speaker rejects the Minister's confidence that all implemented changes are correct, and demands a thorough analysis.

The speaker demonstrates expertise in the specifics of educational management, focusing on the scheduling of basic school final exams, the handling of retake exams, and the admission requirements for state secondary schools. Particular emphasis is placed on the impact of these changes on students' mental health and school-related stress, as well as the necessity of ensuring adequate time for review. Specific terminology is employed, such as "state secondary school admission requirements" and "the option for a retake exam," underscoring the point that rushing the process does not guarantee quality.

The rhetorical style is anxious, urgent, and sharply critical, especially toward the minister, who is accused of ignoring feedback from educators and parents. Both emotional appeals (referencing the mental strain and disappointment experienced by children) and detailed procedural questions are utilized. The speaker uses the metaphor "compressing the time horizon" and accuses the minister of excessive self-confidence, which has "flared up so intensely."

The speaker is an active Riigikogu member who participates in interpellations and addresses voters' concerns, having compiled questions from several parents in Tallinn. The questions were submitted back in June, which demonstrates a proactive and consistent approach to educational issues.

The primary conflict is with the Minister of Education and their officials, who are heavily criticized for implementing changes without sufficient analysis or consideration of feedback. The criticism targets the poor quality of the policy and procedural unfairness (failure to count make-up exams, early closure of application acceptance). The Minister is to blame for failing to listen to educators and ignoring members of the Riigikogu.

The speaker demonstrates cooperation with opposition colleagues by referencing colleague Ester Karuse's account of the situation in Valga municipality and noting that the Social Democrats also submitted an interpellation on essentially the same topic. This suggests coordinated opposition activity concerning educational management issues.

The focus is on the national organization of education, but to illustrate the scope of the problems, reference is made both to the complaints of parents in Tallinn and to concerns raised by colleagues in Valga municipality and Ida-Virumaa (specifically, issues related to the transition to Estonian-language education).

Not enough data.

The primary social focus centers on the quality of education and the mental health of students, while criticizing changes that increase academic stress and limit opportunities for retakes or repeating material. Emphasis is placed on the necessity of ensuring that children fully grasp the curriculum and are not encouraged to graduate with failing grades. This raises the question of what kind of future is being prepared for individuals who are not held to any standards.

The legislative focus is on controlling the executive branch via a parliamentary inquiry regarding the organization of basic school final examinations and admission procedures for gymnasiums. The objective is to ensure at the national level that applications for gymnasium admission are accepted only after the completion of the final exams and subsequent make-up exams, and that the state defines the admission requirements more precisely.