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Wake-up call! | Tartu dorms |
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Taize prayer | St. Pauls church |
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| 11.00 - 15.00 |
Donor day | Raatuse 22, lobby |
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| 12.00 - 20.00 | Russian Bustle | Jakobi 2 | Free |
| 13.00 - 16.00 |
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Workshop "Easy, tasty and healthy studentmeal" | Kalevi 17 |
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The admission season for the University of Tartu began yesterday, with English-language master's programs first to accept applications.
The deadline for submission of documents, which can be done online through the Admission Information System (SAIS), runs through April 16. The list of enrolled students for English-language groups will be published on June 1.
According to Ülle Tensing, specialist in international studies at the university, English-language master’s studies have increasingly gained popularity among Estonian students as well. "This is a great opportunity to obtain an international learning experience in Estonia together with a top notch education," said Tensing.
Applications can be submitted for eight English-language master's degree programs not taught anywhere else in the Baltics or Central Europe. This year the university offers 50 tuition free spots in English-language MSc studies in software engineering, for example.
Ingrid Teesalu
The Federation of Estonian Student Unions (EÜL) has submitted six proposals to the Cultural Affairs Committee for amending the university reform, which was vetoed by the president on the first go-around, the Estonian news broadcasting corporation ERR reported.
Among the most important, the first one relates to the financial autonomy of universities. EÜL said the grounds and procedure for state funding should be specified more precisely, based on the existing concept of base-line cost, writes LETA.
It also said the condition for free tuition should be full-time study or completion of a cumulative 85% of the curriculum in the standard period of study.
Academic leave should remain up to the universities to decide, or academic load provisions should be the basis for regulating academic leave, the EÜL stated.
The conditions and procedure for reimbursement of tuition should be clearly specified for those who failed to complete a subject and those who exceed the mandated period of study, according to the Federation. And it said draft legislation on the reform and study allowances should be read by Parliament in parallel so that they can be adopted simultaneously, or study allowance provisions should be added to the draft reforms.
Continue reading "Estonian student unions submit university reform proposals" »
Russian-speaking grade school students participating in forums in five Estonian cities said more conversational practice must be included in their studies for speakers of Estonian as a second language.
"It's above all students who previously lacked any experience learning in Estonian who have difficulties in upper secondary school, where studies take place as of this year mainly in Estonian," said Nadezhda Savtshuk, member of the Assembly of Student Governments. "The predominant majority of participants in our forums found that the transition should be started as early as possible - even starting in the first grade, with new subjects introduced one by one gradually rather than all at once in the 10th grade."
She said the situation varies from one region to the next. In Tartu, the Russian schoolchildren extolled the language immersion to a senior Education Ministry official, but their peers in northeastern Estonia were concerned that grammatical rules were being drummed into them for years. There was very little practical interaction that would help reinforce the language.
"Students in northeastern Estonia felt that art education, music, physical education or humanitarian studies could be taught in Estonian at basic school," said Savtshuk, adding that opportunities for extracurricular projects with Estonian-speaking peers were also desired.
The forums - held this week in Tallinn, Tartu, Jõhvi, Sillamäe and Narva - involved over 100 Russophone students. A policy document will be produced, to be presented to Education Minister Jaak Aaviksoo on February 16 at the plenary session of the Assembly of Student Governments.
Kristopher Rikken
The estonian board of the nation’s Education Personnel Union decided on December 14 to begin preparations for a strike after hearing from lawmakers that no salary increase was in the offing, reported EER
“Today we received a letter from the chairman of the Parliament’s Finance Committee Sven Sester saying that there is no possibility [of a pay increase], that it will only come with the reorganization of the education system,” the head of the union Sven Rondik told Postimees. “That’s the same as nothing, because [reorganization] is a matter for the distant future.”
The strike may come as soon as late January or early February, said Rondik. The first steps in the process would be to apply to the State Conciliator’s office for the right to strike, then poll union members to see how many would take part. Support from other unions would also be sought, he said.
In late October teachers held a demonstration in front of the Parliament building where they demanded a 20 percent pay rise.
According to Rondik, the idea of a salary increase for teachers has the support of the public, but not of the government. “Recently it was said that salaries for soldiers would have to be raised, but soldiers get 630 euros [per month] and teachers get 608. An ordinary private gets more than a teacher who has a master’s degree,” he said.
Steve Roman
The Lähte Coeducational Secondary School in Tartu County has prohibited the use of mobile phones, both in class and during recess, due to a number of recent bullying incidents.
Some pupils, for example, used their phones to take nude pictures in gym class changing rooms and posted them on the internet, principle Üllar Loks told Päevaleht. "If the function of mobile phones these days were only calling, we would not have been forced to make this decision," Loks said.
The school's student representative body, comprised mostly of pupils from the upper secondary level, predicably opposes the decision and has started collecting signatures to overturn the restriction.
Triin Kahre, head of the Association of School Psychologists, said that she has not yet encountered a public school that has completely banned cell phones. "I cannot imagine how parents can accept the fact that they cannot reach their child during recess," she said.
The school, however, argues that parents can contact their children by calling the school if needed.
Ingrid Teesalu
The most suitable environment for the development of the information-technologies (IT) sector is in the United States, Finland and Singapore, with Latvia dropping to 34th place in the latest global ranking, according to a report by the 'Economist Intelligence Unit' (EIU). Estonia has dropped six places in the global rankings to 29th, whilst Lithuania has dropped ten places to 41st.
Asian economies are closing the gap on the West in terms of their IT competitiveness, the study showed Tuesday, as they strengthen copyright protection and implement regulatory reforms .
While the West leads the world in terms of an attractive place for IT firms, more Asian nations are moving up the ladder, according to the EIU report.
The United States retained its position as the world's most competitive IT industry this year, followed by Finland and Singapore, writes LETA/AFP.
Europe dominated the top 20 places in a competitiveness index, which was based on criteria such as foreign investment policies, infrastructure, enrollment in higher IT education, patent registries, copyright protection and access to capital.
Compared to last year, Latvia has gone down one place in the global IT competitiveness rankings.
Nina Kolyako
Tallinn University of Technology is opening an office in Silicon Valley hoping to strengthen ties with the Stanford and Berkley universities, and with local information technology firms.
The new office will reside amongst many successful companies in the heart of California’s IT hub. “That’s what brought the university here. We are interested in large IT firms like Microsoft, Google, Adobe, Intel, IBM – companies that we have talked to, and with whom we want to work with,” tells Alar Kolk, University Vice President.
The office shares its building with Enterprise Estonia, the Estonian government’s support system for entrepreneurship. The two Estonian organisations will be working closely together. The focus of the program will be IT, biotechnology, and medicine. The university president said having a foreign office isn’t a cheap undertaking but the school is hoping for government support to cover expenses.
University officials also plan to open a Shanghai office in 6 months. “We hope to attract master’s and doctor’s students from the US and China. The university is rapidly internationalising – we already have 1 000 international students. And close to 100 professors and researches from abroad. This is the trend in today’s world, and we cannot afford to get left behind,” said Andres Keevallik, University President.
This year, students finishing Russian-language secondary schools in both Tallinn and Ida-Viru County scored far higher in state exams compared to the class of 2010, boosting their schools significantly in the annually-conducted national rankings list.
For example, the Russian-language Tallinna Humanitaargümnaasium rose by six spots, landing in fifth place in this year's list, which was released August 24. According to the school's director Luule Kösler, students with strong motivation and a rarely-changing teaching staff are the secrets to the remarkable exam results, wrote Postimees.
The average exam score of the 18 graduates of the Russian-language Keila Gümnaasium pushed the school up by a staggering 112 places. "This year's graduates were really bright," said head teacher Nadezhda Lisovskaja, adding that five of them graduated with the maximum possible grades.
In 2011, the Kohtla-Järve Kesklinna Gümnaasium in Ida-Viru County rose 110 spots, bringing it from 147th to 37th place.
Ingrid Teesalu
The Finnish Ministry of Education has its doubts over the Estonian Business School's aspiration to establish a branch in Helsinki because the institution is not locally accredited.
The Finns are less than thrilled about private colleges because the government only recognizes 16 higher education institutions that are specifically stipulated in the country's Universities Act, reported Helsingin Sanomat.
"The level of education might be quite all right, but college students need to understand that they will not receive a Finnish higher education degree from this type of institution," said ministry adviser Marjatta Linqvist.
Whether or not the student's degree is accepted by an employer after graduation depends on who's hiring, the official said.
The Estonian Business School began introducing its Helsinki program to students on June 17. It hopes to draw 25 students for this fall.
Continue reading "Finns express skepticism over Estonian Business School" »
Like other sectors in the wake of the euro changeover, some universities rounded their tuition down, others up.
The University of Tartu will raise its tuition fees, but the increase will remain within the 10 percent permitted by the Universities Act, Ülle Hendrikson, the university's organizer of studies, told uudised.err.ee.
No significant price change is expected at the Tallinn University of Technology, where the rates paid for credits have not increased yet have all been rounded to whole euro amounts, said Tiia Vihandi, head of academic affairs. There has, however, been a slight price increase in postgraduate programs and distance learning courses.
Tuition fees at Tallinn University will not increase, the rounding took place in favor of the students, said spokeswoman Maiki Voore.
Ingrid Teesalu
A new report published by the Human Rights Center states that 66 percent of Estonian university students are holding down jobs, the highest percentage in Europe.
The organization's annual report for 2010 said that 51 percent of full-time students in the country work full time, and "spend the least amount of time on studies of the students in Europe."
Based on a survey carried out by Praxis and the Archimedes Primus program, the report also found problems with access to education among the nation's poor, based on information received from the Federation of Student Unions. The federation said that only 5 percent of students come from families of a low socio-economic background, while 19.5 percent of the population lives in relative poverty. The report's authors said that the system of student grants was deepening the environment of inequality in higher education, making it further dependent on the income level and place of residence of the parents.
Steve Roman
Estonian education ministry received applications of 16 Russian high schools in Estonia to continue teaching in just Russian language in autumn 2011, LETA/Eesti Päevaleht online reports.
The ministry received the application of the Tallinn city council to postpone the partial transition to Estonian-language teaching in 11 Russian high schools. The ministry had received a similar application concerning 5 high schools of Narva earlier, said the ministry’s general education department head Irene Käosaar.
“Since the transition to the Estonian language teaching in high schools has progressed so far according to plans, school principals and municipalities have confirmed that to the education and science ministry, then the applications of Tallinn and Narva city councils are surprising and unexpected and the ministry will analyse the applications very thoroughly,” said Käosaar.
There are 47 municipal high schools with Russian as the teaching language operating in Estonia. According to the education ministry plan, the high school level students of these schools should starting September this year start studying 60% of subjects in Estonians language, which is aimed to raise the competitiveness of Russian youths in universities and at the labour market.
Thousands of 12th-graders across Estonia were biting their fingernails and taking last, desperate glances at their cram sheets this morning, April 18, as the first of this year's state exams began.
The standardized exams, which are a final step to receiving a high school diploma or a vocational certificate, will be taken by approximately 20,500 people between now and June. About 17,100 of those registered are high school students, with the remainder made up of students in vocational schools and those repeating exams they didn't pass last year, according to Andres Ääremaa, head of the Examination Administration Department at the National Examinations and Qualifications Centre.
To graduate from high school in Estonia a student must pass five exams in various subjects. Some can be school-administered exams, but at least three must be state exams.
Subjects that a student can choose for their state exams are Estonian language, Estonian as a second language, Russian, Russian as a foreign language, civic studies, mathematics, English, German, French, biology, geography, chemistry, history, and physics.
Estonian language and Estonian as a second language kick off this year's exam cycle.
Continue reading "Final exams begin for the nation's high schoolers " »
All schoolteachers in Ida-Viru County will receive an additional 30 percent to their salary starting in 2012 - if they teach secondary school subjects in Estonian, according to the IRL and Reform parties' coalition agreement.
Narva Eesti Gümnaasium, which is the only fully Estonian-curriculum school in Narva, has up until now been the only educational institution in the county where teachers started receiving the bonus 15 years ago, according to ETV. The state implemented such measures in order to avoid closing down the school due to a lack of teachers in the predominantly Russian-speaking town.
"Yes, we are getting by. Thanks to the top-up, we have teachers. Based on my own experience, I think it will now help the Russian schools as well," said Uta Kroon-Assafrei, principal of the school.
Minister of Education Tõnis Lukas has said that Ida-Viru needs at least 20 percent more qualified teachers so that Russian schools could meet the requirement that 60 percent of the subjects be taught in Estonian, which has to be adopted in upper secondary schools by September 2011. The ministry has said the reform mainly arose from the need of improving the competitiveness of native Russian-speakers on the job market.
In total the northeastern county needs 763 qualified teachers prepared to teach in the Estonian language. The government will have to allocate an additional 1.7 million euros per year to fund the salary bonus.
Ingrid Teesalu
The “Russian School in Estonia” association has complained of the pressure of authorities on Russian schools. Authorities try to convert all Russlan-language schools to Estonian language, even the law allows teaching in Russian. Approximately 26 percent of the population have Russian as their mother tongue.
The complaint is addressed to the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Knut Vollebæk and the EU Commissioner for Human Rights Thomas Hammarberg.
The complaint reads, in particular, that attempts are made in Estonia to convert all Russian-language schools to teaching in Estonian, though the law allows teaching in Russian.
The association states that government officials mislead Russian schoolchildren’s parents telling them that the law on the introduction of the Estonian language as the only teaching language in all schools has already been passed.
During the next four years, the University of Tartu Development Fund will allocate around six million euros to projects it hopes will strengthen Tartu's position among the top universities in Europe.
Out of 23 potential ideas submitted in the first round, three projects were chosen by specialists from Estonia and Europe, said Alar Karis, rector of the university.
The construction for the new research center which aims to study the relationship between the European Union and Russia, has already started and will receive around 1.6 million euros, according to ETV.
Tartu University’s Genomics Transfer Center will receive 3.5 million euros in support and will have a chance to develop their genetic database. The database will be based on the information collected from gene donors and give doctors the opportunity to keep track of their patients' health problems and analyze potential health hazards which might occur in the future.
"Within the next five years, we will begin researching the genetic changes and their reasons, so that we could better describe the human welfare, health and pathology," said Ursel Soomets, executive director of the center. "Those changes are not conditioned by genes themselves, but by either certain reactions in the cells or environmental impacts," Soomets added.
The third project, which will start developing transgenic disease models and imaging technologies in the Center of Disease Modeling, is considered to be unique in the Nordic region and will receive around one million euros from the fund.
Ingrid Teesalu
At a roundtable of parties’ education experts hosted by Postimees showed that while most agree that there education is key for Estonia’s future, there are differences on how to actually achieve it.
Tõnis Lukas, current minister of education (IRL), says that Estonia cannot wait until the general administration reform at a time when the number of students is falling so dramatically and is affecting quality. “We need to react and do it now. The education system must lead the process, not to wait for it to catch up.”
Peeter Kreitzberg (Social Democrat) said that the whole education system needs a feasibility study. “We have half-empty schools which do nothing but heat air. We need a cost analysis since we have not been only spending, but also wasted money in our education system.” Kreitzberg believes that this could help to increase also teachers’ wages.
Mailis Reps (Centre Party) and former minister of education: “The most acute issues in the society today are social problems, poverty and hunger, and it applies also to schools. We are in a situation where teachers have become social workers in order to solee education problems.”
As more non-Estonian speakers show interest to learn the national tongue, the Ministry of Education promises to allocate extra money for compensating language tuition to those who successfully complete their exams.
Fifty-six percent of exam takers pass the A2 exam, which is the second introductory level of a six-level European standard.
"The Estonian language is needed everywhere in all affairs [in Estonia],“ said Minister of Education Tõnis Lukas. „This attitude has been confirmed by data from the last few years showing rising interest among people to improve their Estonian language skills. This year, to our delight, there is a large number of people taking and passing exams. To preserve interest, the state will continue compensating language courses for those who successfully complete the exams.“
This year, the number of people receiving language tuition subsidies will increase from 750 to 1,100. Another option for the learners is to take free courses provided by the state.
One person can be compensated for up to 383 euros by the Estonian government, and they can receive another 150 euros from the European Social Fund. In 2009, the state spent a total of 205,000 euros, and support will increase this year by 285,000 euros.
"It is necessary for all Estonian residents to learn the Estonian language. Studies monitoring integration show that the country still has a lot of residents who say they either do not speak any Estonian or have very limited skills. That prevents them from participating in the Estonian society and limits the ability of finding a suitable job and opportunities for self-fulfillment," said Lukas.
Student parents in the southern border town of Valga, protested the local government's proposal to get rid of their Russian-language secondary school and put Estonian and Russian-speaking students together in a new school.
"It has a long tradition – my parents, [grandparents], uncles and aunts all attended this school,“ said 11th grader Armand Teever.
Outside of Tartu, the town of Valga, with a sizable Russian-speaking population, has the only remaining Russian-curriculum high school in southern Estonia.
Valga town council chairwoman Külliki Siilak said the local government will give up its plan to bring Estonian and Russian-speaking students under one roof if protests continue.
A legacy of Soviet times, Estonia has traditionally had separate high school curricula catering to Estonian and Russian-speaking cultures. Next year, Russian-curriculum secondary schools are required to teach 60 percent of their material in Estonian, a reform that has met with mixed reaction.
Parents of students in the Russian-language school in Valga are against the mandate. Estonia has 52 Russian-language high schools.
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