While under the old system, the first lesson of the school day began at 8 a.m. or later, the new regulation will mean regular classes cannot usually begin before 9 a.m. In exceptional cases, lessons may begin earlier, though never before 8 a.m.

"The common element between the draft and the current regulation is that classes definitely cannot start before 8 a.m.. However, the important difference lies in the so-called general rule, which now changes by one hour. That is. the school day will generally start at 9 a.m. rather than at 8 a.m.," says the explanatory memorandum accompanying the draft.

The Ministry of Education has justified the need for the change on the grounds that starting lessons later has a positive impact on pupils' mental health and behavior as well as learning outcomes.

The possibility of dispersing the start time of lessons in order to ensure sufficient resources are available for school transport, and in larger areas, to negotiate peak hours on the roads, has been left to school authorities, subject to the approval of the respective board of trustees.

In many Estonian schools, classes already start later than 8 a.m., for example at 8.30 a.m., 8.45 a.m. or 9 a.m.

The draft regulation will enter into force on September 1.

The idea of delaying the start of the school day has been under consideration for a number of years. In 2017, a working group of education and health experts presented a range of proposals to the Ministry of Social Affairs, including the suggestion of moving the start of the school day to 9 a.m., banning homework in the first grade and allowing multiple school shifts only in exceptional circumstances. However, no change to the start time of the school day was adopted at that time.

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