Vox Populi

MARIKA LAURIK

Estonian Nationalists and Conservatives

The first step taken by Ida-Virumaa Vocational Education Centre director Hendrik Agur to improve the quality of teaching was correct, although it came late – first determine the students’ language proficiency level and, based on that, start teaching the state language.
Unfortunately, the director’s subsequent actions will not bring the desired result. Interrupting the studies of 500 students is provocative and will rather diminish their motivation to learn; the idea of language cafés and study trips is nice, but not effective, and there is reason to doubt their positive impact on learning outcomes.
Technical specialties are taught at the vocational education centre, and learning would be effective if in-depth Estonian studies supported the student’s understanding of the professional vocabulary used in subject lessons. The emphasis must be on vocational training, which presupposes cooperation between subject teachers and language teachers. The student does not need to master Estonian at an advanced level, but sufficiently to cope with everyday life and professional work.
A recommendation to the director: instead of language cafés, continue with subject lessons combined with in-depth Estonian language studies that support the learning of professional concepts and terms. For Estonian-as-a-foreign-language classes, compile glossaries of Estonian vocabulary and concepts from the subjects and specialties taught at the school, to support students’ studies in their chosen field.

TIIT SALVAN

Director of Sillamäe Vanalinna School (Parempoolsed)

The main problem with Estonian language instruction in Ida-Virumaa is the lack of an Estonian language environment in the large towns that would support the language skills of those studying at school and on courses. Learners are often poorly motivated, and solving this problem is key. It is important that the planning of language teaching, as well as the teaching itself, be carried out by professionals. Every step we take must be knowledge based and carefully considered.
With hindsight we can see that it would have been right to start language teaching from kindergarten. For those switching to Estonian in the 4th grade, an extra year could have been arranged during which the language would be learned more or less properly.
The Estonian state has allocated a large amount of money to help those students whose Estonian is not sufficient. Therefore I do not consider it right to say that children who do not know Estonian well enough by the end of 9th grade are somehow second rate. In that case we will have to solve their further study problems later, and that will be much more complicated and costly for the state.
The situation with adult language learning is difficult. Courses are organised for them and language immersion is supported, but this is not always enough. Spending two weeks in an Estonian speaking environment is not sufficient. To acquire the language at a normal level, it is necessary to stay in an Estonian language environment permanently for a longer period.
For a working person this is often impossible – their everyday environment is non Estonian, and practising Estonian would require being away from their usual place of work and residence. Fortunately, educational and public institutions are a good exception, where a motivated learner can find strong support in the workplace and in Estonian speaking colleagues.
In the longer term, the situation will be resolved by the emergence of a strong Estonian language and Estonian minded community. Its formation requires a joint effort from all of us and giving up the search for culprits and enemies.

ALEKSEI JEVGRAFOV

Member of the Riigikogu, member of Narva City Council (Centre Party)

Subject teaching must take place with language support, not in the way Ida Virumaa Vocational Education Centre director Hendrik Agur began the forceful implementation of his reform, without sufficiently considering whether students and teachers were ready for it.
Unfortunately, this recalls the state’s earlier behaviour at the start of the transition to Estonian medium instruction, when the Ministry of Education and Research did not pay enough attention to whether schools and teachers were ready, whether the necessary study materials existed, and whether schools had sufficient resources to ensure a smooth transition. The transition was imposed rather as an administrative decision aimed at scoring political points.
I am convinced that such an approach will not lead to positive results; on the contrary, it may create resistance to language learning among students. What matters is not a sudden and total language immersion, but clear language goals in every lesson, visual support, vocabulary banks and model sentences.
Cooperation between subject and language teachers and integrated lessons reduce anxiety and give students a sense of achievement. Systematic methodological support, mentoring, smaller classes during the transition period and a motivating pay system are needed.
In the transition to Estonian medium instruction, it is extremely important that the state keeps its word. Unfortunately, precisely during the term of the current Minister of Education, Kristina Kallas, there have been several delays in the payment of bonuses to education workers in Ida Virumaa.
A good example of effective support is the work of the Institute of the Estonian Language. The institute has offered methodological counselling, training and practical learning materials to schools in Ida Virumaa, taking into account the specific characteristics of the region. Teachers have pointed out that clear guidance materials, language learning tools and training have helped them adapt better to the new requirements.

PIRET HARTMAN

former Minister of Regional Affairs and Agriculture, Secretary General of the SDE

The most important step in organising Estonian language teaching in Ida Virumaa has been taken – it is the decision to switch to Estonian medium education. Therefore, in addition to general education, it is important that Estonian language learning should also be implemented in hobby education and activities, at least to begin with in clubs and groups provided by the state and local governments.
There must also be sufficient resources for the Estonian Language Houses so that they can do their work by offering language courses and additional activities for practising the language. And it is important that what is offered should be based solely on Estonian.
Hopefully, as a result of the reform, the number of those who do not know Estonian will decrease in the future. It is clear, however, that the current lack of language skills affects all fields – not only the vocational education centre, but also, for example, the Defence Forces and other areas of activity where knowledge of Estonian is a prerequisite for working or studying.
In my opinion, the decision to first teach Estonian properly and then move on to acquiring a vocation is sensible. Universities have also applied this approach when admitting students whose mother tongue is not Estonian. But it is also crucial to establish good contact and trust with the student body and to create readiness among them.
It is clear that such changes are sensitive in Ida Virumaa and may, regardless of the good aim, provoke resistance. There is no point in blaming young people who have lived in a completely different value and communication space.
But it is also clear that at some point decisions and clear choices must be made, and we must not doubt them but move forward. The difficult transition period has to be lived through, because in the long term we have no other choice.

KAIA SOLNIK

Co leader of the Estonian Greens

You can only teach those who want to learn. Both Agur and Raik have good ideas and observations, and cooperation would help all parties reach the best solution and create real positive change. Confrontation only makes the situation worse and does nothing to increase anyone’s willingness to learn Estonian.
It is clear that there is no point in teaching professional knowledge in Estonian to young people if they do not understand anything, and Agur’s idea to teach them the language first and then continue with Estonian medium teaching is very good and also supports the state’s goals in the transition to Estonian language education.
Raik, however, has criticised this, and with reason – do the students even want this, and has the community been involved in the decision making process? As a society and in the education system, we are at a point where inclusion is extremely important and things cannot simply be imposed on people – that is not democratic and conflicts with our society’s values.
So I agree with Katri that the process could have been more inclusive and better planned and communicated. The use of Estonian in Narva is a sensitive issue that needs to be addressed, but it would be better to use carrots – everything starts with motivation. If there is a clear goal, reason and motivation, learning is possible.
So, at the end of the day, the question is not how/whether/when to teach Estonian to the youth of Ida Viru, but how to make it attractive, useful and desirable. What will knowledge of Estonian give to their future? A state decree saying “now study in Estonian” is not enough – cooperation is needed between the community, education workers and politicians.

KRISTINA KALLAS

Minister of Education and Research (Eesti 200)

In organising Estonian language teaching in Ida Virumaa, the question is not whether to teach the language, but how to do it in such a way that the learning is comprehensible, manageable and produces results. Estonian must be taught in a way that takes into account learners’ real level and links language learning with practical and vocational studies. Estonian is not a separate subject, but part of the everyday learning and working environment.
Keeping young people in education is a clear priority for the state. If some young people do not attend language courses regularly, it is necessary to assess whether the organisation of studies and the workload are reasonable and whether the young people receive sufficient guidance. If needed, the school must offer additional support and remedial teaching so that language learning helps them move forward instead of becoming an obstacle.
The Ida Virumaa Vocational Education Centre, like all vocational education institutions, operates on the basis of national curricula and laws. Estonian language instruction is not a temporary measure, but a natural part of the education system. Language skills and a profession cannot be set in opposition to each other – in today’s Estonia, language proficiency directly affects a young person’s opportunities in the labour market and in further studies.
The necessity of the initiative by the Ida Virumaa Vocational Education Centre is also confirmed by exam statistics. Approximately 40–45 percent of basic school graduates do not achieve the required level in Estonian as a second language. In upper secondary school, about one third do not reach B2 level, and in vocational secondary education this share is around 90 percent. This means that many young people enter vocational training and the labour market with insufficient language skills, which limits their opportunities.
If the required level is not reached in basic school or upper secondary school, additional support measures become important. This does not indicate a weakness of the system, but rather the need to help young people where gaps have emerged.
The state’s goal is that young people acquire both a profession and sufficient Estonian language skills. Both are equally important for their future, and clear, substantive organisation of Estonian language teaching in Ida Virumaa is essential to achieve this.

VIRVE LINDER

former mayor of Kohtla Järve (Isamaa)

Thirty five years after the restoration of the Republic of Estonia’s independence, upper secondary schools and vocational schools are still struggling with young people from Ida Virumaa basic schools who have no command of the state language. Sometimes such youngsters even manage, by some miracle, to get into university, despite the fact that nearly 2000 (!) hours have been spent on teaching the state language during basic school, and that upper secondary and vocational secondary education should for years already have been conducted according to at least the 60/40 model.
It is obvious that this can only be possible in two cases – either language teaching has been carried out ineffectively and unprofessionally, or it has in fact been purely fictional.
In both cases, the primary responsibility lies with the school maintainer, which is generally the local municipality. Unfortunately, it is no surprise to anyone that the local authorities in several of the largest municipalities of Ida Virumaa stand out neither for their competence nor for their loyalty to the state, and struggle hard to please their electorate, which does not consider integration important.
For decades, these towns have been run like a theatre performance, where, at the necessary moment – usually when guests from the «real Estonia» arrive in the town – success and loyalty to the state are put on stage. The sad reality of real life becomes visible only when you peek behind the scenes.
So it is no wonder that, despite the colossal amounts spent on supporting the transition to Estonian medium education and on integration projects, the local youth still respond with «chyo?» when addressed in the state language. If we want these efforts to actually bear fruit, we must move much more clearly in the direction of taking the basic schools here into state ownership.

MARIS TOOMEL

Chair of Jõhvi Municipal Council (Reform Party)

I believe that when organising Estonian language teaching in Ida Virumaa, we must start from one very clear goal: the teaching must actually produce results. This means that language learning cannot be merely a formal obligation, but must support the real development of learners’ language skills and their opportunities on the labour market and in society. In language teaching, students must be assessed and given feedback exactly according to their real level.
Having myself been a language teacher, a local government leader and a member of a vocational school council, I see that Estonian language teaching cannot be treated as the responsibility of just one party. If at present one fifth of learners do not participate regularly in intensive Estonian studies, we must look honestly at students’ motivation, the organisation of studies and, more broadly, the entire education network. In other words: why do young people with such poor Estonian skills reach vocational school in the first place?
I am convinced that looking for culprits will not take us forward; clarity about the roles of the different parties, the formulation of goals and cooperation will.
Firstly, teaching must be clearly connected to the learner’s real life. In vocational education this means the language needed in the workplace, in communication with colleagues and in everyday life. When a learner sees a direct link between their future and their language skills, their motivation grows.
Secondly, consistency and high expectations are important. Participation cannot be a voluntary extra activity, but a natural part of studies, with clear expectations and responsibilities both for the learner and for the school. At the same time, the school must create conditions in which learning is realistic, taking into account learners’ background, level and needs.
Thirdly, we need cooperation, not confrontation. The issue of language learning in Ida Virumaa is too important to be reduced to a public quarrel. We need a shared goal: how to support learners so that they actually reach a level of language proficiency that gives them opportunities to move on.
My firm belief is that everyone must contribute equally: learners, schools, local governments and the state. Language teaching must be goal oriented but at the same time humane and supportive. Only then can we talk about a genuinely functioning solution.