16.09.26 NEWS ... A homophobic slur that is still used in Estonian-language media as a direct insult and as a way of policing masculinity has gained an additional function: political labeling, a University of Tartu doctoral thesis has found.

16.09.26 OPINION ... The Ministry of Education plans a study to determine teachers' tasks and the time required for them, with a planned cost of €70,000. Teacher Heleriin Paeoja wrote down how her working time was spent over the course of one week.

16.09.26 NEWS ... Several materials that effectively kill bacteria under laboratory conditions may not work as well in crowded spaces. Their effectiveness is reduced by repeated cleaning as well as changes in humidity, according to a doctoral dissertation defended at the University of Tartu.

15.09.26 NEWS ... Minister of Education and Research Kristina Kallas (Eesti 200) says high school admissions should run more smoothly next spring under a unified schedule and revamped system.

15.09.26 NEWS ... More than 800‑year‑old Valjala Church on Saaremaa still contains surprises and discoveries despite the passing centuries. One important find this year is a baptismal basin crafted by a master of exceptional skill.

15.09.26 NEWS ... Listeria bacteria were generally uncommon in ready-to-eat foods studied in Estonia from 2012 to 2016, but contamination was clearly concentrated in certain product groups, particularly cold-smoked and lightly salted fish products, a doctoral thesis found.

14.09.26 NEWS ... Teachers and rescuers gathered outside the Riigikogu in Tallinn on Monday to demand higher public sector wages in the government's 2027 state budget.

13.09.26 NEWS ... Fashion consultant Karolin Kuusik says that although many schools today use uniforms, children's clothing should still reflect some of their own style and personality. Small details can make an outfit look more academic and polished.

11.09.26 NEWS ... Across Estonia, 485 young people remain without a school place after Thursday's deadline, with 245 in Tallinn alone, though officials say technical delays may mean the real figure is lower.

11.09.26 NEWS ... A new study involving Estonian researchers sheds light on the complex history of the Black Death and subsequent plague outbreaks. The plague reached Estonia on multiple occasions and gained renewed momentum during wars.

11.09.26 NEWS ... Tartu decided to build a new addition more than twice the size of the collapsed section at Miina Härma High School. The plan will cost the city an extra €2.7 million, which officials said will not come at the expense of other school reconstruction projects. Taking out a loan is not off the table.

10.09.26 NEWS ... Traditional monitoring methods are insufficient to manage invasive species that threaten Estonia's native crayfish. However, eDNA, or environmental DNA, can help detect these species quickly and effectively, according to a doctoral thesis defended at the Estonian University of Life Sciences.

10.09.26 NEWS ... The Education Ministry told unions it has no room in the state budget for a teacher pay raise, saying any increase would require cuts elsewhere. The Education Workers' Union warned that teachers are prepared to stage work stoppages.

10.09.26 NEWS ... Metal detectorists have helped double the number of Bronze Age artifacts found in Estonia over the past 20 years.

10.09.26 NEWS ... The Ministry of Education is launching a study to determine teachers' work tasks and the time spent on them, and to develop recommendations on how to fit teachers' workload within the working hours set by law. The planned cost of the study is €70,000.

09.09.26 NEWS ... The number of bachelor's students in Estonia receiving need‑based support has risen nearly a quarter in four years, while more students work to cover rising costs.

09.09.26 NEWS ... An unusual experiment at a horse farm near Pärnu revealed that underpants almost entirely degraded in the space of three months.

09.09.26 NEWS ... Although fishers attribute the low abundance of flounder to the spread of an invasive species, a fisheries scientist says the cause is the Baltic Sea's poor hydrological conditions.

09.09.26 NEWS ... Unexpectedly strong currents and water-level fluctuations can occur in the narrow port canal connecting the Black Sea with Lake Varna, posing a risk to shipping and disrupting port operations. Researchers at TalTech helped determine what causes the phenomenon in the canal.

09.09.26 NEWS ... Children are more likely to stay active when they have plenty of opportunities to move at home, school and in their free time, physical education teacher Siim Tõnisson says.

08.09.26 NEWS ... Free pads are now available at University of Tartu (TÜ) buildings across the city, with 39 dispensers installed to make menstrual products easier to access when needed.

08.09.26 NEWS ... An initiative underway in Estonia would not give an AI agent a personal identification code, but would allow it to act on a person's behalf in government portals. The person would remain responsible for the agent's actions.

08.09.26 NEWS ... Only Japan and South Korea surpassed Estonia in 2025 overall PISA test scores among OECD countries. At the same time, education experts are concerned about the continued decline in functional reading literacy.

07.09.26 NEWS ... Estonia has the fifth‑highest share of obese adults in Europe, with 22.0 percent of the population aged 18 and over classified as obese, according to 2025 Eurostat data.

06.09.26 NEWS ... Paper mills are making it easier than ever for researchers to buy authorship of bogus academic papers, fueling concerns that mounting pressure to publish is undermining research integrity.

04.09.26 NEWS ... Estonia's average air temperature is set to rise by 1.5 degrees Celsius for every 1 degree Celsius of global warming, University of Tartu researchers found.

04.09.26 NEWS ... Writer and Tabasalu High School literature teacher Jürgen Rooste says that teaching is often a daily struggle for students' attention, but some encounters and moments also give a great deal of energy.

04.09.26 NEWS ... The number of children with special educational needs has grown, and they now make up a third of all students. Schools should provide support for these children, and universities and employers are increasingly able to accommodate their needs.

03.09.26 NEWS ... Researchers at the University of Tartu have used artificial intelligence (AI) to automatically locate field islands across Estonia and discovered around 10,000 more of them than are listed in the official register.

03.09.26 NEWS ... New technologies make it possible to extract useful information even from deposits accumulated on bones or from dental calculus. Molecules deposited on human remains can provide a more detailed picture of how the plague spread across Europe, according to a doctoral thesis defended at the University of Tartu.

02.09.26 OPINION ... For decades, IT needed little more than wifi and a laptop. Now the future is power plants, chip factories, satellites and data centers, says R2 tech columnist Kristjan Port.

01.09.26 OPINION ... In a good school, our children learn how to be human — empathy, searching for and finding shared interests, understanding and acknowledging different opinions, and also recognizing the boundaries where it is time to stop arguing and accept differing worldviews, writes Kersti Kaljulaid.

01.09.26 NEWS ... An expert panel convened by the Estonian government is examining online risks to youth mental health in a push for solutions to make digital spaces safer for kids and teens.

01.09.26 NEWS ... Dentist Anastassia Kuldmaa says that supervised tooth‑brushing in kindergartens takes oral hygiene partly out of parents' control, because a child cannot be responsible for whether their mother or father considers dental care important. Teeth also need rest, and the biggest problem today is constant snacking.

01.09.26 NEWS ... Starting this autumn, Heily Rikker will take up the position of director of Ruhnu Primary School. She said that a small school does not mean a small world, and that this school gives every opportunity to succeed anywhere.

31.08.26 NEWS ... For thousands of kids in Estonia, starting first grade on September 1 also means starting school. One psychologist offers tips to help families navigate this new chapter.

31.08.26 NEWS ... As of Monday, 575 young people who finished basic school this spring still do not have a new school place registered in the Estonian Education Information System. The lists continue to change constantly, as some students decline the places offered to them, after which those places are offered to the next candidates.

31.08.26 NEWS ... Modern schoolbags now come with features like two‑in‑one designs, expandable capacity, extendable back panels, and rain covers that double as reflectors. Senior purchasing manager Moonika Küttim says the key is making sure every strap is fastened to protect a child's back and shoulders.

31.08.26 NEWS ... Estonian schools are struggling with a chronic teacher shortage. In addition to subject teachers, schools are still looking for homeroom teachers at the start of the academic year. Some new teachers quit shortly after starting.

29.08.26 NEWS ... "UFOs" or "shooting stars" recently reported spotted in Estonia's night sky are in fact Starlink satellite trains, Tartu Postimees said.

28.08.26 NEWS ... The Ministry of Education and Research applied for €195 million for research during the European Union's next funding period, but under the Ministry of Finance's preliminary proposal, it could receive just €30 million.

28.08.26 NEWS ... A wall collapsing during renovations at Tartu's Miina Härma High School (MHG) will cost the city millions, but officials vow other school renovation plans won't be affected.

27.08.26 NEWS ... The glass and timber Nature House complex is nearing completion in Põhja-Tallinn, the future home of the Estonian Museum of Natural History and state environmental agencies.

27.08.26 NEWS ... On Baltic Sea Day, TalTech Professor Urmas Lips said there are reasons to be positive, and improvements are being made every year.

27.08.26 NEWS ... A new online resource offers families practical guidance on navigating education in Estonia, from schools and learning Estonian to homework and supporting kids through change.

27.08.26 NEWS ... Rumors arise inevitably because every person understands the surrounding world a little differently. In turbulent periods, rumors help restore a sense of certainty — but they are only labeled as "rumors" afterward, notes a doctoral thesis defended at the University of Tartu.

27.08.26 NEWS ... The state environment agency, aided by volunteers, has been keeping track of common crane numbers as they prepare to migrate.

27.08.26 NEWS ... What do an everyday eureka moment, a psychedelic experience and a life-changing insight have in common? Karl Kristjan Kaup studied the neurobiology behind these phenomena and created a virtual reality environment that mimics a psychedelic experience to support mental health.

26.08.26 NEWS ... A master's thesis defended this spring found that offshore wind farm noise causes herring schools to disperse near the source, but the fish can swim away from noisy areas when necessary and their spring spawning was unaffected.

25.08.26 OPINION ... Society needs institutions where uncomfortable questions can be asked without fear that, even before research begins, the politically or morally "correct" answer has already been predetermined. Just as society needs a free press, it also needs free scientific inquiry, writes Mari‑Liis Jakobson.