The chancellor of justice received a complaint expressing concern that Kiviõli High School won't be able to manage ensuring a sufficiently quality education for its native Estonian-speaking students following the upcoming transition to fully Estonian-language education, as the Ida-Viru County school will soon be attended by more children of other native languages.

Madise said that according to the Constitution, everyone, regardless of ethnicity, has the equal right to receive an Estonian-language education, and that if a student with a different native language requires additional support for learning in Estonian, that does not mean that native Estonian-speaking students can be left without guidance or support.

"Thus, there is no reason to believe that the rights of Estonian-speaking children will be violated when more children who are speakers of other languages start attending this school," she wrote. "The school and the school's manager must work together to find solutions for how students can best acquire an Estonian-language education."

The justice chancellor noted that the school must support all students' development, and that the accessibility of education that meets requirements is the responsibility of the school's manager.

Starting from the new school year this fall, the first and fourth grades will begin the transition to Estonian-language education, and schools will have the opportunity to utilize various methodologies.

"This does not mean, however, that a student with a different native language should not have the opportunity to learn in Estonian in any grade or at any school already," Madise stressed.

In Lüganuse Municipality, Estonian is the native language of around half of residents. Starting this fall, Kiviõli Russian School, which currently provides Russian-language education, will no longer be accepting students into the first grade, and the school is slated to cease teaching altogether by September 2027.

Kiviõli High School, Lüganuse School and Kiviõli Russian School will likewise be merged into a single new school this fall as well.

The chancellor of justice said that it is understandable that the parents of both native Estonian-speaking children and those that have until now attended school in Russian are concerned about their kids' education.

She acknowledged that of the kids currently attending kindergarten at Kiviõli High School, 31 are in Estonian-language classrooms and 21 are in Russian-language classrooms, so some incoming students may need assistance with learning in Estonian.

However, as kindergartens will likewise be transitioning to Estonian-language instruction as of September 1, according to Madis, it can be assumed that going forward, kids starting school will be more proficient in Estonian, and they will need less support in school as well.

"Kiviõli High School has experience in supporting Estonian-language instruction for students with different native languages," she highlighted. "According to the school, their teachers have also undergone the necessary training. Estonian-language instruction can also be supported by having two teachers in the classroom at once. In justified cases, a teacher can also provide their student guidance in [the student's] native language, however this must be well considered, as instruction must take place in Estonian."

The justice chancellor also added that the school can temporarily organize Estonian language studies in corresponding proficiency tiers, however parents would have to agree to this.

In light of these considerations, Madise believes that this school in Kiviõli will be capable of teaching and supporting children of various native languages, however the support of the entire school environment is crucial to Estonian-language education, and young people's interest should be encouraged in the Estonian language and in what is happening in Estonia.

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