Teachers of Russian as a foreign language in state and municipal schools have to have B2 Estonian by August 1. Those who teach their subjects with Estonian as the medium of instruction need to be at an advanced level in the national language by that same date.

In addition to the regularly-scheduled Estonian exams, 28 teachers were given an additional opportunity, at the request of the Ministry of Education, to sit it independently of the usual so-called waiting list.

The exam results were surprising – 28 percent of teachers passed the B2 exam. The results are lower than average both for this year and compared to previous years.

"For example, in 2024, the percentage of those who passed was 38 percent, and as a rule, for B2 it is close to 40 percent of those who take the exam," explained Maiki Udam, head of the Educational Quality Department at the Education and Youth Board (HARNO).

According to Udam, the results also vary by location.

"In Tartu, for example, there were 27 candidates in the field of education and science, of which 13 teachers achieved the corresponding level. That's more than half. In Tallinn, there were 207 participants and 50 teachers passed, or 24 percent,"

Only one in four teachers achieved C1 in Estonian, though the number who took the exam has not increased significantly from previous years. According to Udam, usually around 30 percent of those who take the C1 exam achieve a pass.

"I think these results are rather rexpected and it would certainly have been too optimistic to expect that all teachers who did not take the exam today to have done so. I'm sure that many of them didn't take the exam as they know their jobs will end on August 1," said Ingar Dubolazov, the Ministry of Education and Research's director of the transition to Estonian-language education.

According to Dubolazov, teachers who fail the B2 Estonian exam will have to leave their jobs, though the ministry does not see that as a major problem.

"I believe that this issue of teachers was actually twice as concerning last summer as it is now. When the transition started, don't forget that all kindergartens started the transition as well. The demand for teachers was many times higher than it is currently," Dubolazov said.

In some Tallinn schools, teachers are now being redeployed so that a teacher who has failed a C1 Estonian exam can continue to work in classes where teaching in Estonian is not yet required.

"This year, the required level (to teach) in grades 6-9 is B2, and the head of the school decides whether a teacher can continue, for example, in real classes for a year or two or until they have passed the exam. In that case, of course, it is legitimate and the correct course of action. We are still in a situation where there is a shortage of educators," said Tallinn Deputy Mayor Aleksei Jašin (Eesti 200).

The City of Tallinn expects to hire 200 new teachers for both schools and kindergartens before September 1, half the number it took on last year. However, it will be even more challenging next summer, when the requirements to speak Estonian at an intermediate level will also apply to teaching assistants in kindergartens.

"At the moment, there are a total of 1,700 assistant teachers or kindergarten assistants in Tallinn, and from the next school year they will all be considered as assistant teachers under the new law on primary education. Of the 1,700 assistant teachers, 300 currently do not speak Estonian at B2 level," said Jašin.

---

Follow ERR News on Facebook, Bluesky and X and never miss an update!