Additional state support for small rural schools is meant for local governments that maintain schools of grades 1-6 and that have 19-90 students. The ministry said there are 20 such schools in Estonia.

Minister of Education and Research Kristina Kallas (Eesti 200) said that local governments can request the funds by demonstrating progress made toward achieving education development plan goals and intent to maintain a local basic school for which the request is made.

"Support sums will be paid out from next year's state budget, while we will be including schools registered by November 10, 2023," the education minister said.

The measure is estimated to cost €3 million in the 2024 state budget.

Helle Kajaste, education adviser for Jõgeva Municipality that has two schools that might be eligible, said that the additional sums would be a help in terms of paying teachers more.

Kristina Kallas also said that curricula changes are planned on the basic school level. One is retaining the position of class teacher not just until the end of third or fourth grades but through to grade six. She said that while some schools that have few students already use class teachers until grade six, the plan is to switch to a two-stage basic school system, instead of the current three stages, with the first covering grades 1-6 and the second grades 7-9. "Grades 1-6 would make up a single basic school stage."

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