BONJOUR L'ESTONIE

University of Tartu raises tuition after Euro changeover

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

Estonia has highest portion of working students in EU

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

16 Russian schools of Narva and Tallinn want to preserve teaching in Russia

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.

Final exams begin for the nation's high schoolers

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.

Ida-Viru teachers to receive 30% salary bonus

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

Protest against discrimination of schools for the Russian minority in Estonia

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.

Tartu university development projects to receive EUR 6 M

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

Education is key to Estonia’s future

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.”

Students of Estonian language showing more interest

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.

Parents fight to keep Russian-language high school

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.

Youth association wants more Estonian in Russian primary schools

Voluntary language immersion is not enough, says a youth organization, Open Republic, finding that compulsory bilingual educational models must be developed to ensure that primary school graduates have better Estonian ability when they enter high school. 

The volunteer organization is submitting its report on November 15 to the Ministry of Education and Research.

"The proficiency of graduates of primary school with a language of instruction other than Estonian is too weak to study without problems at Estonian secondary school," says head of Open Republic, Jevgeni Krishtafovitsh. "Next year Russian-language secondary schools will cease to exist and students who did not take part in voluntary language immersion or did not take Estonian courses at their own expense outside of school will find themselves in a difficult situation."

The report, which also analyzes the Latvian experience, proposes that Estonia could use a similar model of offering bilingual teaching at all stages of study. Currently Estonia still has a number of purely Russian-language primary schools.

"It should be a national-level priority to overcome segregation in the educational system. Primary schools with a language other than Estonian should help ethnic minorities preserve their identity but also promote integration of children into Estonian society," said Krishtafovitsh.

Tartu and Tallinn universities must stand together : Ilves

There's no need for Estonia to compare Tartu teachers against Tallinn or vice versa. To remain competitive within this reference system, the universities of Tartu and Tallinn must stand together, back to back, and forget about competition amongst themselves, the President Ilves said at the opening of From Visions to Solutions conference at Tallinn University of Technology.

"We can only compare whether the information technology education that is delivered in Estonia is better or worse than the education provided in Sweden, Germany, Shanghai, Singapore, or California," said Ilves. "As any possible winner would be as a miserable loser within the bigger picture."

For this very reason the Head of State welcomed ability of Tartu University to give serious consideration to its current admittance procedure for new students.

"Therefore, I invite all of those who have been involved in the debate on whether university education should be available for free in Estonia or for a charge, with or without a tuition fee, to stop and think about the whole situation. This discussion will not make any sense until we have agreed on what the content of higher education is and what sense it makes in the competitive 21st century world – and this applies to engineering sciences, mathematics, and political science," President Ilves told.

Estonian and Russian teachers divided by more than language

Estonian and Russian history and social studies teachers take a different approach to many issues and a common information space should be developed, says the Estonian NATO Association.

Director of the Estonian NATO Association Viktoria Punga told ERR radio news that a consistent form of dialogue should be developed. "This is the goal - to develop a common information space."

Punga said that in spite of standardized textbooks, teachers at Russian-curriculum schools rely on completely different sources of information than their Estonian counterparts. An Estonian teacher might watch the ETV news program Aktuaalne Kaamera but his Russian colleague typically gets information from Pervyi Baltiiski sponsored by Russia. Punga says it is logical that this shapes a different worldview among students.

The Estonian NATO Association, an NGO which lists cross-ethnic integration as one of its goals, has invited history and social studies teachers to Pärnu to discuss how the economic crisis poses challenges to democracy and to try to bring teachers closer together.

Tartu Studentdays 2010 programme : 11th-17th of October

Tartu Studentdays is a festival brought to you twice a year: in spring and in autumn!

Tartu Studentdays festival offers participants and visitors a unique programme full of culture and entertainment! The programme allows you to rest your spirit and partake in the enjoyment of student life. Tartu Studentdays represents students’ spirit, their positive energy and optimism.

Twice a year, these festivals gather people to come and find their inner student and to share an amazing experience with the students of Tartu. The activities are filled with enjoyment for participants and spectators alike to ensure there is fun for everybody.

Rest your spirit!

Monday, 11^th October

6.30 WAKE-UP CALL Tartu's dormitories

Early morning’s energizing daily dozen right behind your dormitory’s window, waking up even the heaviest sleepers. Wake up, come out and you won’t regret it!

Dorms - Raatuse, Narva mnt 25/27/89, Betton, Torn

11.00-15.00 Blood donation - the greatest gift is life! Tartu University Library, room 186

Estonian Medical Students Association in cooperation with Tartu University Hospital`s Blood Centre are giving you a chance to make the ...

The full programme is here

Estonian government urged to bring back student loan repayment program

The program of the Estonian government that provided subsidies for student loan repayment was scrapped last year due to financial trouble, but students are now urging the government to bring it back.

A petition with 7,200 signatures of students is being circulated by the Estonian Federation of Student Unions, who plans to get more support until November 15.

“The purpose of the campaign is to show that there are thousands of people in Estonia who were affected by the decision to end compensation for student loans,” said Maris Malzer, chairperson of the student group. “We believe that it should be continued, as the decision was made too hastily and was a violation of the legitimate expectations of those who decided to take a student loan.”

The student federation wants the government to return compensation to all students who took loans before June 30, 2009, the deadline for applying for compensation of student loan repayment.

No replacement for chemistry

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?”

Student demonstrators demand free food

In support of government-paid meals in schools, the national student union will hold a demonstration in Tallinn’s Town Hall Square on September 12.

The student organization says the government should expand its free meals plan - currently for first to ninth grade - to include high school and trade schools students.

The school day is long and students need to eat in order to stay mentally acute, finds the student group.

One student meal costs 73 cents in euros. Feeding students from the first to ninth grade costs taxpayers about 14 million euros annually.

Buying lunch for high school students would cost an additional 4.5 million euros a year. That’s about 0.08 percent of the state budget, said the student union’s spokesperson Susanna Paeväli.

Costs of textbooks variable in Estonia

Prices of student workbooks at the high school level differ from one establishment to another in Estonia, LETA/ERR reports referring to a survey by Postimees.

The study books are gratis for pupils up to the ninth grade.

The ninth grade is the last year of mandatory education in Estonia.

Starting from the 10th grade, the approach is different in each school. Teachers' preferences are also influential.

Some schools in Estonia do not provide any financial aid for workbooks at all. In some institutions, printed workbooks are not used at all, whereas in others, the municipal government pays for them.

At Tartu County's Nõo Reaalgümnaasium, a science-oriented high school, tenth-graders' workbooks for two semesters cost families more than 50 euros. In Tallinn's Laagna Gümnaasium, the tenth graders' families pay 45 to 55 euros depending on the foreign language they are studying.

Juhan Tere

Time to squeeze out the sponges

“It’s complicated being an ametnik. They have so much responsibility.” I paraphrase Tea Varrak on the April 5^th television broadcast of Vabariigikodanik, defending state-sector salaries against criticism leveled by journalist Vallo Toomet. Toomet pointed out in a recent Eestipäevaleht column that state sector salaries are, on average, one-third higher than private sector salaries, and that only 12 percent of Estonian children surveyed by the finance ministry said they aspired to private sector work. Varrak repeated herself so many times that “it’s complicated” became her mantra. Toomet sat beside her and listened patiently. But he didn’t look convinced.

When I was growing up in North America we looked down on government workers. We thought of them as parasites or sponges. The government workers I knew were not lazy, but they certainly were not ambitious, and most all seemed to be looking for a comfortable, risk-free place to pass eight hours a day while earning a reasonable salary without being held accountable for much of anything. There’s an American joke about the public sector, where a male government worker can’t lose his job unless he’s caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy. When it comes to job security, only the Vatican can offer a better deal.

Having spent most of my career in North America’s eat-what-you-kill environment, my sympathy for Toomet’s point of view will come as no surprise. And as a freelance writer in Estonia — a de facto and de jure entrepreneur — I find myself on the libertarian end of things when it comes to the size of government.

Bureaucracy the biggest hurdle for non-EU university students

Estonian universities and higher education establishments say that the biggest bottleneck for students from outside the European Union who wish to study in Estonia is bureaucracy, writes ERR.

By current law, a non-EU student must apply for the residence permit for Estonia when still abroad and must submit the documents to the nearest Estonian embassy. The embassy then forwards the documents to Estonia where the permit is issued if all papers are correct. However, if the documents are not in order, the student would have to return to the embassy and re-submit them.

Kätin Keinast who coordinates international degree study in the Tallinn Technical University, says that this is a major problem for many Asian students since it means that would have to travel to the Estonian Embassy in China. "We have many problems especially with Asian students," said Keinast.

However, the situation could improve after the new Alien Act enters into force this October. Under its provisions, a residence permit can be applied also when the person is already in Estonia, i.e. foreign students can first travel to Estonia and only then apply for a residence permit.

Toomas Hõbemägi