BONJOUR L'ESTONIE

President Ilves urged prospective students to become teachers

President Toomas Hendrik Ilves recommended to the best pupils invited for a reception to contribute to the Estonian education system so that it could be made into the best one in the world, writes LETA/National Broadcasting.

“If anyone here today (on Monday – ed) still lacks clarity on what they wish to become and wants to hear my advice, I would be best served to say to all of you here – the most exciting and challenging work that will be done in Estonia in the coming decades will be in the education system,” said Ilves when speaking to the most successful pupils graduating from secondary schools this year. “This work will be more and more valued and it requires the best people to do it – it is teaching, teaching of teachers and passing on knowledge in the widest sense of the word,” explained the President.

The head of State urged high-achieving pupils to want, dream and hope that in 25 years, for example, it could be said that the Estonian education would be the best in the world because of the fact that in 2010 there was an abrupt shift in the youth’s career preferences.

Juhan Tere

“Schools as linguistic battlegrounds”

Today’s New York Times explores the situation of Estonia’s Russian-language learning schools, describing how the teachers are forced to learn Estonian language and this could be slowly becoming the sector where Estonian society will suffer the most for its internal division..

Interviewing some teachers from Pae Gymnasium, one of the best schools in Tallinn, NYT reporters discovered that they are openly afraid of language inspectors who have the right to fine or discipline public employees who do not speak competent Estonian.

The fear, felt in schools as in many other segments of Estonian society, comes from the general impression that language inspectors would not be particularly interested in what people answer to their questions rather than how they do it – or, at least, this is what the columns of the New York Times reported.

Estonia has been mounting a determined campaign to elevate the status of its native language and to marginalize Russian, the tongue of its former colonizer and apparently this is the reason why public schools like Pae Gymnasium, where children have been taught in Russian for long years, have turned into linguistic battlegrounds.

The National Language Inspectorate is in charge of ensuring the Russian schools teachers’ knowledge of Estonian language, but according to the NY Times the local Russians are not pleased with inspectors’ work: “The agency has only 18 inspectors, it is such a provocative symbol of the country’s language regulations that even Amnesty International has criticized its tactics as heavy-handed.”

Private university Nord will merge with Tartu University

Since 10% fewer students will start studying in Estonian universities in the coming years, small privately owned universities are trying to find ways to survive by combining forces with large universities, LETA/Postimees Online writes.

This week, an agreement was signed according to which the privately owned university Academy Nord and the Tartu University will start making preparations for possible merger. After the merger, Nord would be called Tartu University Academy Nord.

Nord’s rector Rein Müllerson said that they have been looking or a merger partner since 2005 and have held talks both with Tallinn Technical University and Tallinn University.

The academy focuses on teaching social sciences mainly: communications, psychology, law. Since the Tartu University also teaches these subjects, there will be some overlapping. Müllerson said that during a three-year transition period, the subjects that completely overlap, would be distributed between Tallinn and Tartu.

After merger, Academy Nord, founded in 1991, will retain autonomy but will adopt enrolment and study organisation like in Tartu University.

Juhan Tere

Astrid is Manchester's international finalist

Astrid Tishler from The University of Manchester is hoping to be named International Student of the Year this week after reaching the finals of a prestigious competition.

Astrid, from Estonia, will challenge for the title on Wednesday, April 21. As one of 12 regional winners she will travel to London to meet a final judging panel, before having her achievements honoured at the awards ceremony.

Astrid, based in the University’s School of Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, fought off competition from more than 1,300 students from 118 countries to reach the final of the annual awards, a major initiative from the British Council that shines the spotlight on international students and their contributions to life in the UK.

Astrid wasn’t the only Manchester student to make her mark this year – Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering student Muhanad Fakhri from Sudan and Asad Kamran Ghalib from Pakistan, based in the School of Environment and Development, were both named runners-up in the regional finals.  

In a bid to take home the top prize, international students studying at universities, colleges and schools across the UK shared stories about their extra-curricular achievements.

Estonia ponders teaching more Finnish in schools

Finnish could become a second foreign language at Estonian schools by 2013, according to a new plan by educators.

At present, Estonian pupils can study Finnish as a third or fourth foreign language in high school, which boils down to just one weekly lesson over three years.

Changes entering into force in 2013 will make it possible for sixth graders to study Finnish as a second foreign language with three weekly lessons, according to the Finnish Institute in Estonia.

In a poll carried out in 2007, it appeared that there were as many Estonian pupils wishing to study Finnish as a second foreign language as there were interested in French, German, Russian and Spanish.

According to the Finnish Institute, some 1,000 Estonian high schoolers.

President Ilves presented the Estonia’s Beautiful School award to Valga Basic School

Thanks to the teachers and students Valga Basic School is a modern school with a student-friendly atmosphere, where teamwork and tolerance are the key words, where people regard and cherish the surrounding environment, and where students learn to take responsibility, both in school-life and in general," said President Toomas Hendrik Ilves on 1st April while presenting the award for Estonia’s Beautiful School to Valga Basic School.

"Restlessness and the desire to investigate, to do something ourselves, and to strive for new knowledge, without being pushed and without waiting for someone to give orders – allt this makes a school a good and beautiful school," the Head of State added.

"This is what Valga Basic School is today, and I am really pleased by it. Your thoughts of today become tomorrow’s Estonia, to which you give substance through your works and activities," President Ilves said. "If you will remain as eager, thirsty for knowledge, and smart, I can rest in the assurance that Estonia will be an even better and safer place tomorrow."

President Ilves also thanked the teachers of Valga Basic School: "A wise teacher – wise in the most general meaning of the word – helps to shape the lives and choices of their students. Students often only realise in later life the extent of the work done by a teacher, when they realise that the lessons learnt in school becomes useful in real life."

Brandner PCB welcomes Estonia student satellite team

The aim of the Estonia Student satellite project is to design, manufacture, test and implement a working Earth-orbit satellite. Estonia's first satellite ESTCube-1 will be completed by early 2012 and will be used for scientific experiments in orbit. The development of the satellite is based on the Cubesat standard (www.cubesat.org), which is developed by California Polytechnic State University and Stanford University.

The tough space environment sets very strict requirements for materials used and also the materials in the actual satellite electronics. Currently, the project is working on creating subsystems for the project. Breadboards and prototypes will also be created.

Student satellite Program Manager, Silver Lätt, requested a tour of the PCB manufacturing process at Brandner PCB. The tour and the "question and answer" session was very meaningful to the group. Brandner PCB is pleased to note that a well-educated young Estonian engineer generation is now beginning to gain prominence.

For more information, visit http://www.brandner.ee/.

Government supports the reconstruction of two state general education schools

Stenbock House - At the cabinet meeting held today, the government supported the proposal of the Minister of Education and Research to begin reconstruction of the buildings of two state general education schools Nõo Real Gymnasium and the state upper secondary school to be planned in Viljandi. The school building in Viljandi is expected to open in August of next year.

The newly repaired upper secondary schools will provide pupils with a wide range of opportunities for acquiring an education that meets their interests. In addition, all pupils graduating from basic schools are equal when entering such upper secondary schools, and the existence of such schools also provides basic schools with a sense of security regarding the future. I am especially glad that Nõo Real Gymnasium, which is one of the top schools in Estonia, will finally be renovated, said Tõnis Lukas, Minister of Education and Research, when commenting on the decision made today.

University students struggle with national language

TALLINN - The results of a recent poll released by the Estonian Ministry of Science and Education has found that students entering universities in the country are woefully unprepared in terms of language.

The results suggested that as many as one-fifth of university students entering their first year do not speak the national language well enough to manage the course work.

Language remains a hot topic in Estonia, which is regularly chastized by the EU and human rights organizations for the number of stateless people who do not speak the national language.

Flagellate them or they will probably flagellate us

Preparing amendments to the law on the protection of children, Estonian civil servants have engaged in hot-tempered controversy with each other on the eternal question of the physical punishment of children.

They want to prohibit flogging officially on a legislative level. Bureaucrats consider this amendment to be their primary concern, while skeptics from the Estonian Ministry of Education find the idea of the state interfering with family life rather strange.

The Minister of Education Tõnis Lukas said there is no need to prohibit certain things which are already illicit by a so-called “social contract” that must operate in modern society, he told Postimees web media.

“Otherwise we would have to specially precondition in the law that children cannot beat their parents,” said the minister.

Cuts hit universities unevenly

TALLINN — A 9 percent budget cut to Estonian higher education is not hitting all the country’s universities the same.

In it’s drive to stay within the Maastricht criteria for eurozone entry, the 2010 national budget left few ministries cut-free, and education was no exception. The  education budget was cut by 9 percent, 106 million krooni (€6.7 million) and as a consequence the Ministry of Education and Science reduced student base costs, which cover per-student teaching expenses.

Rein Joamets, a spokesman of the Ministry of Education and Science, said that by cutting student base costs, the damage would be spread more evenly across universities.

“Of course all the aspects of cuts were considered, but cuts of the student base costs means cutting jointly and avoids making some painful decisions on a certain university or major,” Joamets told Baltic Reports.

Universities face different prospects

However, due to the different financial statuses of Estonia’s universities before the per-student cost cut was implemented, its affect is not being felt the same in different campuses.

Nordecon to build Tartu University premises in Narva

Estonian construction company Nordecon Ehitus, a wholly owned subsidiary of Nordecon International AS, signed an construction agreement with Tartu University under which the company is entitled to build new premises for Tartu University college situated in Narva (North-East part of Estonia), the enterprise reported to NASDAQ OMX Tallinn.

The works also include building of outdoor communications and restructuring of adjacent streets.

The contract value is approximately 62.1 million kroons, informs LETA.

The construction of Narva College is financed by European regional development fund.

The period of construction is between December 2009 and June 2011.

Nordecon International is a group of construction companies with core business in general contracting and construction management in the construction of buildings and infrastructures in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Ukraine.

The parent of the Group is Nordecon International AS, a company registered and located in Tallinn, Estonia.

As reported, Nordecon International gross profit was 165.2 million kroons in the first nine months of this year, a fall of 47 %, year-on-year.

Juhan Tere

Number of foreign students in Estonian universities increases every year

Juhan Tere

More than 500 new foreign students study in Estonian universities in 2009 and the number is increasing every year, EPL Online/LETA reports.

In Tallinn Technical University (TTU), the number of new foreign students grew this year by 33.8% as compared to last year, to 127. The university offers 12 different study plans in English and the number applications was highest for cyber defence and legal sciences.

In the University of Tallinn, 273 students from 47 states study this autumn semester, 120 of them started their studies this autumn, said foreign students coordinator Merje Song. During the whole of the previous academic year, 309 foreign students studied in the university and the number will be bigger this year, she said, adding that the exact figure isn’t known yet as students who will come to the university for the spring semester have not all sent their applications.

Tartu University accepted 136 foreign students versus 92 last year. The number of people accepted to master’s degree studies has increased by over two times, said the university’s international studies chief specialist Ülle Tensing. She said that the most popular subjects were software technology and semiotics. A total of nearly 650 foreign students altogether study in the university.

The school menu will be variegated with Mexican food

TALLINN – Yesterday [14. Oct] the new project , goal of which will be the induction of some variety to school canteens, will start. This will be the first time, the pupils will be offered traditional Mexican cuisine.

This project will take place in six different schools – on 14th of October in three school located in Tallinn, and later in schools in Tartu, Saku and Viru. About 4600 pupils will have the opportunity to taste the Mexican dinner, and, depending on the comments, it will or will not continue in future.

The project is realized by Spicery developer Santa Maria and one of the biggest school nutrition supplier Fazer Amica Eesti AS. The six school taking part in the project are Tallinn center of industrial education, Rocca al Mare school, Arte gymnasium, Tartu gymnasium Miina Härma, Kreutzwaldi gymnasium and Sakus gymnasium.

Number of foreign students in the University of Tartu in Estonia is growing

Juhan Tere

77 foreign students were admitted to Master’s studies in the University of Tartu in Estonia in 2009 – twice as many as in 2008, writes the National Broadcasting/LETA.

The highest number of international students – 30 – will start studying semiotics in the upcoming academic year. 22 students will start their studies in software technology, the curriculum of which was created in co-operation with the Tallinn Technical University.

Most applications for international curricula were received from the United States, Russia, Ukraine and Germany. The most exotic countries represented were Syria, Mexico, India, Columbia and Sri Lanka.

Although a total of 1,184 applications from foreign countries were received for admission in the Bachelor’s studies, Master’s studies and Doctorate studies, only 166 were eligible.

The University of Tartu will offer this autumn six international Master’s studies curricula in English: semiotics, applied measuring science, software technology, Baltic studies, the European Union-Russia studies and wellness and spa services design and management.

Estonia to lend 80 mln kroons to the Tallinn Technical University

Juhan Tere

The Government of Estonia decided to issue a loan of 80 million kroons to the Tallinn Technical University for up to 10 years, writes the National Broadcasting/LETA.

The objective of the loan is to guarantee that the university can complete its 7-year investment programme and the loan would also be used for co-financing the objects financed from the EU structural funds.

The Tallinn Technical University requested the annual interest rate of Euribor plus 2.5%.

According to this year’s State Budget Act, the maximum balance of loans to be issued by the Government is 3 billion kroons. By now, nearly 0.25 billion kroons of this amount is being used and hence during the year of 2009 the Government still has 2.75 billion kroons that it can issue as loans.

The endless days of summer camp

By Ella Karapetyan

TALLINN - After the long, cold and dark nights of winter have passed, children and youngsters are happy to meet summer, which is the perfect time for taking part in various international camps all over Estonia.
The well-known language school “School in Down-Town” is opening its doors for children and teenagers to take part in camps that will take place in Tallinn.
The city language camp is held by the support service of Alternative Programs on Foreign Languages (ALPS) on the basis of the School of Foreign Languages In Down-Town and with assistance from the international youth organization ESTYES.

According to Aleksander Kurushev, the coordinator of International Youth Association EstYES, generally the camps start from mid-June and run until the end of September.
Moreover, the topics of the camps are always different, as are the activities. This summer the volunteers are going to work with kids – mainly manual work for the benefit of local communities, environment, construction works, etc.
“The aim of making these kind of projects are to gain youth mobility, solidarity, non-formal education as well as intercultural learning, rural or community development, personal growth and, of course, fun,” Kurushev told The Baltic Times.

Kurushev explained that generally a group of 10-25 international volunteers work and live together in a local community project for a period of a few days to a month. Living and working together, young people from different backgrounds are able to get to know each other and overcome the barriers of language and other differences. The practical work within the community and the intercultural interaction makes every camp contribute to a more peaceful world.

A lesson in understanding

By Ella Karapetyan

TALLINN - A well-known VK Private School in Tallinn, which was given a 10,000 euro grant as part of a multilateral project to produce a collection of national and regional traditional ethnic myths and legends, will soon conclude the two-year project.

The “Sharing Legends” project, sponsored by the Comenius program partnered Estonia, Cyprus and Greece, and will end in July.
The Comenius program focuses on the first phase of education, from pre-school and primary to secondary schools and involves all relevant members of the education community including pupils, teachers, local authorities, parents’ associations, non-government organizations, teacher training institutes and universities.

The program aims to improve the initial or in-service training of teachers and other people working in the school education sector.
The Comenius program was developed to improve the mobility of pupils and educational staff; to increase and enhance the partnership between schools in EU member states and to have at least three million pupils taking part in joint educational activities by 2010.

One of the goals is also to enhance the quality and European dimension of teacher training and to improve pedagogical approaches and school management.
It also aims to encourage language learning; teaching techniques; promote learning; support entrepreneurship and reinforce creativity and innovation.

Students ready to sue the government over cutbacks

Student organizations say they are outraged over the government’s proposal to cut benefits, writes Postimees.

Specifically, students are furious over plans to stop compensating student loans and to reduce various student subsidies.

Students of the law faculty of the Tartu University have already threatened to go to court to protect their interests.

“Estonian needs to take some urgent decisions to improve the situation , but it cannot be made at the expense of students,” says Joonas Pärenson, chairman of the Estonian Association of Student Organizations.

Pärenson says that, instead of investing in higher education, the state is doing exactly the opposite, taking money away from education and weakening the economic wellbeing of students.

The government decided last week to stop compensating student loans for new borrowers and those who already have taken out a student loan.

Toomas Hõbemägi

Non-Estonian teachers fear mass job loss

By Ella Karapetyan

TALLINN - Lyudmilla Andreichuk is an English teacher at a private school in Tallinn. In addition to English, she speaks fluent Russian and Estonian.
Though Andreichuk will not personally be affected by the law stating that all teachers must have an adequate level of Estonian to keep their jobs, she has deep concerns. She thinks the damage done to the Estonian education system may be irrevocable.

“I suppose that the law concerning the Estonian language categories will bring the educational system to total destruction, and this means that the Russian schools will be in danger of collapse,” Andreichuk told The Baltic Times.
She said the courses offered by the state to help teachers meet the language requirements were not sufficient, and that the shortfall could lead to widespread problems as teachers begin to lose their jobs en masse.

Andreichuk is not alone in her opinion of the law.
Tension is rising among teachers throughout Estonia as many are beginning to come to terms with what the education system might look like after the deadline for all teachers to learn the national language passes next year.

With the two-year grace period now nearly halfway through, many teachers who had tried to learn Estonian are now realizing they will not be able to meet the requirements by the time the deadline, which will fall on July 1 next year, has passed.