Plans to close half of Estonia's high schools in effect

TBT staff in cooperation with BNS

TALLINN - According to a plan for the reorganization of the schoool network now being prepered for at the Education Ministry about one hundred Estonian high schools, called gumnaasiumid, gymnasia, in Estonian, could be closed, the daily Eesti Päevaleht reported.

Education Minister Tonis Lukas said the ministry is considering how many high schools are needed in Estonia and how many exactly will be closed in the upcoming years.

In 2012 high schools and primary schools that meet the established terms will be issued schooling licenses. "As we are mainly talking about high schools, schools that do not meet the terms will not be issued schooling licenses," Lukas said.

The conditions for closure are the existence of an either scientific or humanitarian bias, teaching of an optional subject in promoting that bias, qualified teachers and a sufficient number of students.

If a high school located outside the county seat meets the terms, it will also be issued the schooling license. If there are only five students set to attend the tenth grade in a small community school, the local government will close the school anyway.

Peeter Kreitzberg, chairman of the parliament's standing culture committee, said that separation of the basic school and the high school had been relatively well accepted in parliament. "I believe that more of less all the parties are in its favor," Kreitzberg said.

Kreitzberg said that as there were 232 high schools in Estonia at present, then about 100 of them would probably be closed.