Estonia’s Ministry of Education provides Russian schools in the country with financial support on the condition that they offer more courses in the Estonian language.
The daily Eesti Päevaleht takes issue with this policy:
“Most Estonians may approve of the initiative for more Estonian at Russian schools, because after all we want to live alongside Russians who speak our language. The Estonians are so enthusiastic about the campaign that they are quick to accuse Russian parents who oppose these plans or express disapproval of acting maliciously. But that’s taking things too far, because in a free society not everyone can share the same opinion, and we’re talking about an important issue here. Many Russians simply fear that their children are not sufficiently prepared and would trail behind the Estonian pupils because the classes would be more difficult for them. And will the children be able to study medicine one day if they take Estonian instead of chemistry?”
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