Narva Plans Private Russian-Language High School
The government's decision, not to exempt 15 Russian-language high schools from the requirement of teaching 60 percent of classes in Estonian after a three-year transition, forces Narva local authorities to establish a private school, said Centre Party MP Mihhail Stalnuhhin.
Stalnuhhin, who is also councilman for the Narva City Council, told rus.err.ee that the Cabinet's decision was anticipated and now that it is out in the open, Tallinn and Narva schools will continue battling the issue in court. However, he said, he had not much hope for the outcome of the process.
Establishing a private upper secondary school in Narva, however, has already been on the cards for a long time. The project will be sped up in 2012, Stalnuhhin said, adding that depriving the Russian community of quality upper secondary education in the native language may undermine their chances of university admission.
Already in October, Kalle Küttis, undersecretary of the Ministry of Education called the plan of Narva authorities plausible yet shortsighted, because it would narrow the job prospects of ethnic Russian youth.
Ingrid Teesalu