The 77-page explanatory memorandum to the draft states that if the requirements for completing vocational or upper secondary education are met before the age of 18, the learning obligation is also considered to have been met.

"The aim of the draft is to reverse the current trend in which the proportion of young people who do not continue their studies after completing 9th grade has risen from 3 to 5 percent in recent years, one fifth of those entering the upper secondary or vocational education system drop out in the first year, almost 40 percent of graduates do not continue their studies after upper secondary education, and the proportion of young people with no qualifications is increasing."

The government's 2023-2027 action program aims to raise the compulsory schooling to age 18 and to make vocational education (which in upper secondary school would be grades 10-12) an attractive option.

The explanatory memorandum points out that a basic education alone is no longer sufficient for success in the labor market and in private life, since today's graduates will be working for at least another 50-60 years.

"Today's compulsory education ends around the age of 15. As a country, we have previously assumed that basic education is sufficient to leave the education system and enter the labor market. However, at this age, the young person is at a stage in his or her development where making long-term decisions is very challenging. It is also a demanding environment that is not conducive to successful independent living with only basic education. The high dropout rate in upper secondary education and the clear downward trend in post-secondary education suggest that decisions need to be made now. It is also clear that a high proportion of post-general education dropouts will remain permanently excluded from lifelong learning."

The structure of the Estonian education system is outlined below.

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