14.07.25 NEWS ... Although the transition to Estonian-language education has been underway for a year, experts say a big issue is students' motivation to learn. The Ministry of Education said it was not possible to address all concerns in the first year.

12.07.25 NEWS ... It's not just your imagination — butterflies really are scarcer than usual in Estonia this year, and monitoring data confirms it. According to University of Tartu entomologist Erki Õunap, the unusually cool and rainy spring is likely to blame.

11.07.25 NEWS ... A recently defended master's thesis has found that not a single public space in Tallinn is fully accessible to disabled people — and many so-called accessibility features actually fall short.

09.07.25 NEWS ... This fall, more international students are expected to begin studies at Estonian universities than in recent years, with the largest numbers coming from Azerbaijan and Ukraine and strong interest in business, the humanities, the arts and ICT, among other fields.

09.07.25 NEWS ... Much of Estonia's forests are open to hikers, campers and other visitors. Forest management experts shared practical tips for responsibly enjoying nature — from bringing your own firewood to keeping noise down and pets leashed.

08.07.25 NEWS ... The number of applicants using SAT scores for special admission to the University of Tartu has risen 38 percent over the past year. The Estonian university credits the increase to greater awareness of the popular U.S. standardized test and a broader rise in bachelor's program applicants.

07.07.25 NEWS ... Amid practical concerns, Tallinn Deputy Mayor Aleksei Jašin (Eesti 200) said the city government will need opposition support to eliminate kindergarten fees in the capital, as his party won't be backing the proposal.

06.07.25 NEWS ... Several universities received the highest number of applications in recent years. The most popular fields of study are related to medicine, psychology and education.

04.07.25 NEWS ... During the night leading into Friday, Storm Ulla drove wave heights in the western Gulf of Finland to record summer levels. TalTech's wave buoy LainePoiss recorded a significant wave height of 4.1 meters — higher waves have not been registered in the area since at least 1980.

03.07.25 NEWS ... The Estonian government has approved new changes to the regulations on schools and the educational environment. The most significant change is that from September 2026, the school day will generally start at 9 a.m. or later.

03.07.25 NEWS ... A recently defended master's thesis shows that pollen allergy season now begins earlier than it did in the 1990s. At the same time, pollen concentrations have decreased and the peak season has shortened. This is due to climate warming and changes in vegetation.

01.07.25 NEWS ... Although Estonia has increasingly embraced reduced mowing on public and private lawns to boost biodiversity, plant ecologists say the approach falls short if it simply allows tall grasses to take over.

30.06.25 NEWS ... A recent master's thesis from the University of Tartu reveals a significant rise in the share of Estonian schoolchildren who have experienced suicidal thoughts over the past two decades. Among girls, one in three has grappled with such thoughts.

28.06.25 NEWS ... At the moment, weather models show no signs of a prolonged warm period on the horizon, although with a bit of luck, real summer warmth could arrive in the second half of July or in August. However, a few warmer days are just around the corner, said Taimi Paljak, lead meteorologist at the Environment Agency.

28.06.25 NEWS ... The University of Life Sciences and Baltic Agro have acquired Estonia's first unmanned field robot, allowing future farmers to try out the latest agricultural technology. The unmanned smart tractor can mow, sow, and fertilize on its own.

27.06.25 NEWS ... While the coalition Reform Party is fighting to scrap kindergarten fees in Tallinn, the idea hasn't even been raised in other Reform-led local governments, including the City of Tartu and Rae Municipality.

26.06.25 NEWS ... President Alar Karis and Minister of Education and Research Kristina Kallas (Eesti 200) recognized this year's outstanding school graduates in a special reception at the Kadriorg Rose Garden.

25.06.25 NEWS ... The first Estonian-language medical publications appeared as early as the late 18th century. Kreutzwald's Kodutohter ("Home Doctor") proved to be so popular that thousands of copies were printed, writes Merike Kiipus, head of the archival library at the Estonian Literary Museum, in the journal Raamatukogu.

20.06.25 NEWS ... Around 1 p.m. Thursday, a bear and her three cubs were caught frolicking in front of a trail camera in Saukse, a village in Kadrina Municipality in Northern Estonia. The camera's owner, Indrek Laulik, shared the video with ERR viewers.

19.06.25 NEWS ... Across much of Estonia, rainfall has already surpassed the June average, with multiple hydrometric monitoring stations reporting water levels well above normal.

19.06.25 NEWS ... Typically in Estonia, mosquito numbers begin to drop in May as they're replaced by another pest — horseflies. But this year, that shift hasn't happened, leaving people to deal with both insects at the same time.

16.06.25 NEWS ... The European Research Council (ERC) awards substantial project funding to researchers each year, and to date, several dozen Estonian scientists have brought an ERC grant home. At a conference held in Tartu, researchers who have already received the grant encouraged their colleagues to dream bigger — but also to be prepared for a long writing and waiting process.

12.06.25 NEWS ... A new awareness campaign in Estonia's second city aims to improve conditions for Tartu's urban hedgehog population, with campaign leader Katariina Kuusaru emphasizing the crucial role city residents can play.

11.06.25 NEWS ... Tests conducted in Tallinn schools show that the transition to Estonian as the only language of instruction has been particularly difficult for pupils in the fourth grade, with only a quarter passing at a high level. The Ministry of Education is now in the process of creating additional teaching materials for both students and teachers, one year after the start of the transition.

11.06.25 NEWS ... A University of Tartu student has come up with a new proof of the Pythagorean theorem using origami. While folding paper is already used — even in basic school — to demonstrate the well-known geometric principle involving right triangles, Karl-Robert Mõttus managed to do it without ever touching a pair of scissors.

11.06.25 NEWS ... Invasive slugs spreading across Estonia have been spotted in the wild several months earlier than usual this year. The Spanish slug (Arion vulgaris) is now firmly established locally, and the only effective way to control them is through consistent collection and destruction.

10.06.25 NEWS ... The early arrival of warm weather followed by subsequent rains in Estonia this spring have provided the perfect conditions for wild mushrooms to grow — and not just spring and summer mushrooms, but some fall species too.

10.06.25 NEWS ... There are an estimated more than one billion cats in the world, fewer than half of which live in homes. Yet even well-fed cats hunt when outdoors, resulting in the deaths of millions of birds and other animals each year.

08.06.25 NEWS ... A hoard of around one hundred silver coins was discovered near the Muhu stronghold, possibly confirming that a separate settlement may have existed in the surrounding area.

07.06.25 NEWS ... The Social Democratic Party (SDE) has submitted a proposed amendment to the supplementary state budget to eliminate kindergarten fees in all Estonian local governments — even as a dispute has erupted within the capital's ruling coalition, sparked by the Center Party and Reform Party pushing for the same.

06.06.25 NEWS ... A previously unknown shipwreck lying in nearly 70 meters of water off the coast of Estonia's largest island, Saaremaa, may be of a British collier which sank in the mid-19th century.

06.06.25 NEWS ... Tartu is facing a crisis in high school places, with a shortfall running into the hundreds for local pupils alone – the city's schools also attract students from other parts of the country.

05.06.25 NEWS ... Only three percent of schools in Estonia have a fully qualified roster of teachers, while around 80 percent of teachers at state-run schools meet the qualification requirements.

03.06.25 NEWS ... Estonia is forging ahead with its "AI leap," partly in partnership with OpenAI, the creators of ChatGpt, and with the aim of training teachers too. However, there is a big difference in AI skills between students, one teacher said.

02.06.25 NEWS ... Schoolchildren in Estonia still experience bullying and sometimes have to turn to their parents, or even a therapist, for help, "Aktuaalne kaamera" reported.

29.05.25 NEWS ... The parents of 25 children, who attended Toila School have launched an appeal at Tartu Administrative Court against the municipality's decision discontinue teaching high school level pupils there.

29.05.25 NEWS ... The Ministry of Education and Research has plans to share school curriculum details with artificial intelligence (AI) giant OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, ahead of a planned AI leap pilot year, starting with the next academic year.

28.05.25 NEWS ... Schools in the eastern border town of Narva still need to find around 75 teachers ahead of the next school year, and say that the strict qualification requirements are making this challenging.

27.05.25 NEWS ... On Tuesday, Estonian Minister of Education Kristina Kallas (Eesti 200) met in Tartu with representatives of the Estonian Education Workers' Union, who want a pay rise for their members.

26.05.25 NEWS ... Schools across Estonia will teach students to operate drones, according to the new coalition agreement released on Saturday, the Baltic Sentinel website reported.

23.05.25 NEWS ... Cleaner energy production benefits the environment and health but may harm the livelihoods of those reliant on the oil shale industry, a University of Tartu doctoral thesis finds.

23.05.25 NEWS ... The Ministry of Education and Research has received a request to rename Tallinn Central Russian High School after its original namesake, founder and educator Elfriede Lender.

22.05.25 NEWS ... Estonian researchers have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) barometer enabling users to compare responses from by various language models and assess their Estonian proficiency. The team aims to gather at least 50,000 comparisons by the end of June.

21.05.25 NEWS ... An analysis of beveled sticks made from moose bone, discovered at what is believed to be Estonia's oldest known settlement site — Pulli — suggests they were likely used for stripping pine bark, according to a joint study by Polish and Estonian researchers.

20.05.25 NEWS ... A demonstration took place in front of the Riigikogu on Tuesday with the aim of drawing politicians' attention to the country's teacher recruitment crisis. The protestors also wanted to remind Estonia's political leaders that teachers' current salaries are not competitive.

20.05.25 NEWS ... Nutrients entering nature through agriculture remain a persistent problem in Estonia, contributing to the deterioration of water bodies. The monitored sources now contain as many nitrates as they did in the 1980s.

19.05.25 NEWS ... The National Institute for Health Development highlighted in its latest yearbook that socioeconomic status and level of education are having an increasingly significant impact on the health of people in Estonia. Among other findings, Estonians with lower levels of education are more likely to die from cancer.

19.05.25 NEWS ... When doctor's appointment wait times are long or prescribed treatments don't help, some people turn to social media in search of solutions. An Estonian study of a Facebook health group suggests that while doctors are trusted as diagnosticians, people may still turn to alternative healers when dealing with more complex issues.

16.05.25 NEWS ... This year, the title of Estonia's School of the Year was awarded to Kindluse School, a nine-grade basic school that opened in the fast-growing Tallinn suburb of Järveküla in 2020.

16.05.25 NEWS ... Although the shortage of family doctors in Estonia is a well-known fact, until now, no research had been conducted into the reasons behind it. On Thursday, Marta Velgan, who works as a family doctor herself, defended her doctoral thesis on the topic at the University of Tartu.