"Tallinn's transition to Estonian-language education starts on 1 September, no derogations or extensions needed," Kallas said.

"Lasnamäe Basic School has applied for a one-year extension, and they, as a school for children with special needs, will receive special support and the specificities of children with special needs will be taken into account. Lasnamäe Basic School needs a new transition plan and we see no obstacles, they need a different transition plan. There will be an individual approach for all children," the minister said.

Tallinn and the state will continue planning Lasnamäe State High School, Kallas confirmed. Ossinovsk said the city government is very interested in the facility.

"If the state takes on additional responsibilities for secondary school places, this will free up space for primary schools. There are technical nuances here, for example with planning, but Tallinn's specialists are working hard with the state on this," he said.

The mayor also said that the new coalition has a serious goal of dealing with the planning of the school and education network more systematically than before.

"Tallinn's schools are overcrowded and teachers are overworked. We are starting to work to create additional primary school places. We're starting to build them, but we won't get there in a year," Ossinovski said.

Concerns about Estonian language reform

"The transition to Estonian-language learning is a massive reform for Tallinn, a serious educational challenge. But we can do it and we will implement the reform in substance," Ossinovski said at a press conference on Wednesday.

He said there are challenges and concerns. "But Tallinn is working on that too. For children with special needs, we expect a more personalized approach from the state," Ossinovski said.

The mayor noted that although there is a lack of teachers in grades 1-4, he believes that on September 1 there will be a teacher at the front of every class.

The bigger problem is with the teachers who continue to teach in Russian, of whom nearly 350 do not meet the language requirements.

"At the same time, we cannot give them up because we really need them. We are looking for ways to address this situation, but it is up to the government to decide," Ossinovski said.

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