Fear, anxiety and uncertainty are likely the primary emotions experienced by many parents and teachers in Narva following a recent meeting with Education Minister Kristina Kallas. Why? The answer is simple: hope that the government would take any steps to facilitate a smooth transition to Estonian-language education has finally vanished.

Less than half a year remains until the transition, yet there is no clear understanding of how it will practically unfold. The education minister not only failed to clarify the situation but also caused parents and teachers even greater concern.

Based on the responses received from Kallas, participants realized that none of the problems associated with the transition (catastrophic shortage of teachers and support specialists, lack of educational materials, psychological adaptation of students and teachers to the changes, coping of children with special educational needs) have been resolved, and the Ministry of Education lacks a plan to address them. At the same time, the state is unwilling to show flexibility or make concessions.

Minister: Learn Estonian and you'll get your teachers

The government is conducting an experiment, but whether it proves successful will be determined over time. All arguments against such experimentation on children fall on deaf ears. In doing so, we risk that a large number of young people will receive an inadequate education. But perhaps that is the real objective?

What happens if the hurried negative scenario of the education reform materializes? We may find ourselves in a situation where the residents of Estonia are artificially divided into those who received a quality education in school, graduated from university, and thus have advantages in the labor market, and those who must serve them. The latter group includes those who have been subjected to this experiment.

The stark difference in the quality of education delivered by educators who have been teaching in Estonian from the start and those who have been forced to quickly learn the language is already evident. Clearly, learning a language and teaching in that language are not the same.

Let's try to understand the situation in the education sector through the example of Narva. Due to non-compliance with language requirements, as of September 1 this year, 153 teachers in Narva may become unemployed, and it is certain that new educators in such numbers will not be found by that time.

In response to the logical question of whether the minister has a plan to address such a shortage of teachers, the terse answer was that the plan exists and it consists of... learning Estonian.

No one disputes the need to learn Estonian, but given the deadlines set by the education reform, the workload on teachers and the average age of teachers, it is doubtful whether the minister's suggestion can be fulfilled. Even the fear of unemployment does not help.

It is completely unclear who and how will be teaching children from September, and how the remaining educators, who will also have to do the work of colleagues who will have left school due to non-compliance with language requirements, will manage.

The significant shortage of teachers in the country gives educators the opportunity to choose the most suitable conditions and attractive schools for themselves. The minister of education likes to repeatedly say that with such additional payments as are available in Ida-Viru County, PhDs in sciences will come to teach in Narva schools. However, the additional payment in Ida-Viru County, which the minister speaks of as some kind of panacea, only manages to attract a few individuals and even then, it's uncertain how long they will stay, considering the costs associated with job changes, such as renting accommodation, not to mention other inconveniences.

Furthermore, the additional payment does not solve the teacher shortage problem: if some teachers are attracted to Narva, it means that other schools, for example, in Tartu, Viljandi or Paide, must find replacements. Therefore, such "bonuses," when viewed in the broader context, tend to cause more harm than benefit.

Special needs children especially at risk

The concern, particularly following the meeting with Kristina Kallas, revolves significantly around the education of children with special educational needs. Firstly, it is hard to imagine how children, who even in their native language struggle to acquire basic skills, are expected to learn in a foreign language. Yet, no exceptions are made for special needs children.

Unfortunately, the minister seems entirely uninterested in the psychological well-being and sense of security of these children, crucial for this group. She argues that they should not be "deprived of the opportunity to learn in the official language and become part of Estonian society." While slogans are just slogans, it's noteworthy that the state did not find it necessary to even develop educational materials specifically for special educational needs children.

Secondly, it is entirely unclear who will be entrusted with teaching these children. There is a significant shortage of support specialists in Estonia, and in Narva, 53 percent of the support specialists working in schools do not meet the language requirements. The situation is even more dire at Paju School, which primarily serves children with educational needs: 62.5 percent of the teachers there (30 out of 48) may lose their jobs starting September 1 because they do not have sufficient language proficiency. This situation underlines a critical oversight in policy planning and implementation, leaving vulnerable groups at risk of being further marginalized in the educational system.

So far, the school has employed qualified educators skilled in working with SEN children. It's hardly necessary to explain that finding replacements for them by September 1 is practically an impossible task. The sad truth is that most teachers who meet the language and qualification requirements prefer to work in regular schools and classrooms because it is much easier there. What awaits children with special needs this fall is unknown to anyone, including, unfortunately, the education minister.

At the very least, the state could show some empathy and humanity in this matter, but it seems that redistributing responsibility and repeatedly stating that the law has been passed and local governments must comply is easier.

Narva is not an exception in the context of the education reform; many Estonian schools are facing extremely difficult situations. For example, some schools and kindergartens in Maardu have requested the Ministry of Education to ease transition conditions, facing the same issues: a lack of teachers and difficulties in managing SEN children.

The minister is consistent and stubborn (or intransigent) and emphasized at a government press conference that it is hard to argue why a C1-level teacher cannot be found for each group. It appears that the minister has not managed to acquaint herself with the actual situation during her year in office, but rather follows the idea of transition. Kallas' faith and blind enthusiasm are unlikely to deliver the situation if the next academic year begins with complete chaos in the education system.

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