Kohtla-Järve official: Misinformation on schools appearing ahead of local elections
Misinformation on progress towards Estonian language teaching in schools in the Ida-Viru County town of Kohtla-Järve is being spread by those hoping to capitalize on it at the ballot box at October's local elections, the town's chief of education said.
Of the 38 teachers in Kohtla-Järve's schools who lack the required Estonian language qualification, 15 opted to take the language exam to continue as teachers. Of these 15, three passed the language exam, while none of the dozen teachers who aimed for the higher B2 (upper-intermediate) level passed.
Kohtla-Järve head of education, Alevtina Jermakova said the picture is being further confused by the sharing of misinformation online by those running in October's local election.
Kohtla-Järve has two municipal schools, one run by the state and one private school, all providing basic education in the town of X. In the case of the two municipal schools, this is down from the previous number of five, following the merger of two schools in the Järve district and three schools in the Ahtme district of town.
While preparations for the imminent new school year are going ahead, the concerns remain over the lack of language-proficient staff.
The academic year starts Monday, September 1.
An extension granted to teachers nationwide for acquiring Estonian language proficiency ended at the start of this month, meaning teachers who do not meet those requirements can no longer be employed at schools.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte
