Riigikogu rejects Reform bill on transition to Estonian-only education
The Riigikogu rejected a bill with a 32-44 vote on Tuesday proposing that the government lead a transition to a single, united and fully Estonian-language education at all school levels, including kindergarten.
According to the explanatory remarks accompanying the bill, the transition would have begun at the kindergarten level as of Sept. 1, 2020.
As part of the transition process, daily Estonian language classes would have been provided in kindergartens, along with interaction with Estonian-speaking children, the presence of at least one Estonian-speaking teacher per kindergarten group, and readiness to enroll in an Estonian-language school following kindergarten.
Those to take the floor during deliberation of the bill on Tuesday included Reform Party parliamentary group chairwoman Kaja Kallas, Centre Party parliamentary group member Mihhail Stalnuhhin, Social Democratic Party (SDE) parliamentary group member Katri Raik, and Isamaa parliamentary group member Üllar Saaremäe.
-
Download the ERR News app for Android and iOS now and never miss an update!
Editor: Aili Vahtla
