In the education section of the new coalition agreement, it is stated that "we will streamline the school network and organization of secondary education at the legislative level." Minister of Education Kristina Kallas explained that this refers to the current ambiguity in Estonia regarding who is responsible for providing high school education – whether it is the local governments or the state. In the future, this responsibility will clearly lie with the state.

"The law on secondary education will clearly define who is responsible for providing secondary and vocational education in Estonia, and this responsibility will be with the state," said Kallas.

Kallas highlighted the current lack of clarity in the system. "The teachers' strike clearly exposed these issues: schools are ostensibly under local government control, but the state pays salaries, and salary negotiations are conducted with the minister of education, even though the funds are actually in the budgets of the finance and regional affairs ministers," she said.

"This is a very confusing system where it is unclear who decides how money is allocated. Additionally, the situation regarding teacher recruitment and working conditions is not sufficiently clear," Kallas added.

According to Kallas, the long-term development plan for education, which extends to 2035, clearly outlines the need to clarify the division of responsibilities at the high school level, assigning more responsibility to the state, while primary education responsibilities will rest with local governments.

"The deadline for completing this reform is 2035," said Kallas.

The state will not nationalize schools from local governments, she emphasized. "This can only be done through agreements and contracts, and so far, these agreements have worked. We have many high school sections that have been transferred to state management," Kallas noted.

Avinurme and Lihuma small high schools to be retained

Kallas added that this change means local governments can maintain high school stages in municipal schools with 30 or 20 students and hire teachers, but the state will not fund these study places if there is a state school in the surrounding area that provides secondary education.

"If a high school is within a 30-40 kilometer radius of a person's home, then people will not move away from that area. According to the current plan, a high school should be accessible within a 30-40 kilometer radius," Kallas explained.

Kallas acknowledged that the situation with high schools is sparsest in Pärnu County and Jõgeva County. "Avinurme High School and Lihula High School will likely remain part of the school network as small high schools simply because there are no alternatives for children to study in the nearby area," Kallas said.

No clear answer on resignation

In response to the host's question about a headline published in Delfi in June titled "Kristina Kallas: If no education agreement is reached by the end of the year, I have failed in my goal and will resign," Minister Kallas clarified that the headline did not accurately reflect her views.

"No, I didn't say that; it was Delfi's headline. Delfi asked me if I felt responsible if no education agreement is reached by the end of the year, and I responded that I do feel responsible. The interpretation that I meant I would resign was surprising to me as well, but I don't write the headlines," Kallas said.

"I truly feel responsible for reaching an agreement by the end of the year on how to implement working conditions, workload accounting and a career model for teachers in Estonia. This is a significant and necessary change to make the teaching profession attractive and ensure a future supply of teachers, which is undeniably one of the most important aspects of the education minister's role," Kallas added.

When asked whether she would resign if the agreement is not reached, Kallas replied, "I'm not saying yes or no."

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