The Ministry of Education's latest language proficiency review will be focusing on the principals and directors of Ida-Viru County's urban educational institutions. Deniss Šalkauskas, Kohtla-Järve's deputy mayor for education and culture, said that they aren't very worried about the upcoming review, noting that they only have issues with a couple of kindergarten directors.

"All of our schools' principals and head teachers meet Estonian language requirements," Šalkauskas highlighted. "Looking at our kindergartens, of which there are 14, then two of them don't meet Estonian language proficiency requirements."

For the Ministry of Education, this monitoring and review of educational institution directors' language proficiency is just one part of the checks being conducted on educational institutions in the course of the transition to Estonian-language education.

To date, compliance raids, which have been conducted primarily in Harju and Ida-Viru counties, have already called attention to the first standard points of concern.

Ingar Dubolazov, the Ministry of Education's head of the transition to Estonian-language education, explained that work is needed throughout schools on curricula.

"Many additions have not been introduced to the curricula; these require clarification," Dubolazov said. "I have to admit that we also turn up internal school documents that should be in Estonian. Also a concern is teacher participation in continuing professional development, as those teachers with difficulties with their Estonian language proficiency participate less in development training."

The nationwide transition to Estonian-language education will begin in schools starting September 1.

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