Prime Minister Kristen Michal (Reform) doesn't find it reasonable for all higher education to be free.

"For those majors that primarily lead to the market, I'd ask you quite openly here – why should we pay for free education for all lawyers?" he asked. "There are those who should go into law, those who should enter the internal system, but there are also quite a lot of those who enter the public market."

Michal likewise pointed out that half of those studying public administration could pay for their own training.

"That money we could leave to the universities, allowing them to offer perhaps more study spots, perhaps more conditions for teachers, doctors and many other fields," he added.

Eesti 200 chair Margus Tsahkna agrees with Michal.

"There's no need to provide 100 percent free higher education indiscriminately to everyone," Tsahkna said. "I've also studied law, and I know many people who are willing to pay – and are able to pay – for their education. In certain majors, why not charge tuition fees?"

He added that universities should be allowed to charge tuition for foreign students enrolled in Estonian-language programs as well.

Center Party chair Mihhail Kõlvart believes it is necessary to set priorities, because in a small society, resources are limited.

"I agree that higher education should be free, but it needs to be differentiated," Kõlvart said. "The state must have chosen priorities. Educational priorities must be directly linked to economic priorities. And another maybe unpopular idea: yes, higher education should be free, but the future needs to be regulated in terms of how these young specialists will contribute to our economy afterward."

Social Democratic Party (SDE) chair Lauri Läänemets, meanwhile, maintains that higher education should remain free.

"If we look at Denmark or whatever other countries in Europe, how much are they willing to pay for bright minds – for our people living here in Estonia?" he highlighted. "They offer all kinds of support to encourage people to just come study in other countries."

Läänemets believes that tuition-based higher education would send a message to Estonia's talent that it may be worth exploring the world more and leaving Estonia after all.

Isamaa leader Urmas Reinsalu said that free Estonian-language higher education was his idea, but added that foreign-language higher education shouldn't be free.

"How it used to be back in our day: half of the kids who went to university went for free, and half paid full price," he recalled "However, those specifically from rural areas, with lower income backgrounds, because their average educational results at graduation were also lower, paid the full amount, and that was imbalanced."

Reinsalu believes it's worth questioning whether there is any point to offering free English-language education.

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