Tartu's Russian-speaking young people study mainly in two schools: Annelinna Gymnasium and Aleksander Puškin School. The Puškin School is in a more difficult situation, with one or two small classes for pupils with special educational needs in each class.

"There are 50 percent or more of such children in school, whereby the special needs vary widely, with some pupils learning in mainstream classes and coping rather well. They learn partly in Estonian, and from next year on, even more classes will be taught in Estonian. But some students study in special classes, where they require much more support. Their teaching is very specific; all these processes – memory, logic, etc. – need a different approach. The number of these specialists is not so large to replace all of them," Alina Braziulene, the director of the Puškin School in Tartu, explained.

"The Puškin School has done a very commendable job; it is the school with the highest percentage of children in need of support of all Tartu schools," Lemmit Kaplinski, deputy mayor of Tartu, said.

The city government has agreed with Puškin School and Annelinn High School that the transition to Estonian for small special classes will be at a slower pace than for the rest of Tartu's pupils. The city government will also present the plan to the council.

"The basis for this decision is the individual ability of the children who learn there." This is not some kind of political wish of ours," Kaplinski said. "These children need to be dealt with in a slightly different way and at a different pace, but still with the clear aim that in a few years' time they will all be taught only in Estonian as well," he added.

All lower grades, except for grades one and four, are eligible for an extension. They will start in Estonian in the autumn, so Tartu does not need to ask for an exemption at the national level.

"A significant part of the curriculum in most of these classes is already in Estonian, and in the case of the Puškin school, for example, we know that 80 percent of the school's pupils will receive instruction in Estonian next year." According to Ingar Dubolazov, the head of the transition to teaching Estonian at the Ministry of Education and Research, Tartu is progressing towards its goal of achieving full Estonian-language education even faster than the current national plan.

According to national plans, all first and fourth grades and kindergartens should start teaching in Estonian in the autumn. Three municipalities - Tallinn, Maardu, and Narva - have applied to the Ministry of Education to exempt children with special educational needs.

"We do not expect to grant such exemptions at the national level," Dubolazov continued.

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