Tallinn's Estonian-language schools seeing more and more Russian-speaking kids
Estonian-language schools are continuing to gain popularity in Tallinn, with native Russian-speaking children accounting for more than half of first-grade students in recent years. Schools in Lasnamäe, however, are struggling with a lack of both enough space and enough teachers.
Each year, parents are increasingly interested in enrolling their kids in Estonian-language schools. In Lasnamäe, you have two options for that: Laagna High School or Kuristiku High School. The goal is to provide spots in these schools for as many applicants as possible.
"This year, we'll have a whole six parallel classes, something Kuristiku High School has never seen before," highlighted Kuristiku High School principal Aivi Osman.
"In that sense, we can see that our school is getting increasingly popular," she continued. "And this choice has been made by the parents – meaning [Tallinn] Education Department asked the parents whether they wanted to enroll their child in an Estonian-language school or in an transitioning school, and the parents made this decision. The school hasn't been able to change anything, nor has the Education Department intervened."
In order to accommodate everyone who wants to enroll, schools will have to work together.
"There is a huge shortage of school spots in Lasnamäe," said Laagna High School principal Urmas Sadam. "We're in touch with schools, we're in touch with the Education Department and we'll see how many classes anyone will be able to open. For example, we'll now be opening four classes, and each class has 28 students. We can't take on too many additional students, so we have to see where, what school would be able to accept students."
According to Tallinn Deputy Mayor Aleksei Jašin (Eesti 200), this issue isn't anything new, and one possible solution for next year could be Estonian-speaking children attending transitioning Russian-language schools in separate, dedicated classes.
"We in Tallinn are indeed working on a plan where, starting not this but next school year – in 2025-2026 – we hope to open Estonian parallel classes in the more successful transitioning schools," Jašin explained. "Where children who speak native-level Estonian or bilingual children could start out in a transitioning school, with very well-prepared teachers providing children with both the language and subjects at the native language level."
As another solution, the deputy mayor has also promised to build a new basic school on the border between Lasnamäe and Pirita.
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Editor: Merili Nael, Aili Vahtla
