Last week, news broke that the Ministry of Education and Research had issued a directive to Gustav Adolf High School stating that collecting money from parents for movement classes and other educational activities was not permissible, as it violated the Estonian Constitution.

This was followed by a message from the school to parents, announcing that all curriculum-enriching activities previously funded by parental contributions, such as theater and cinema visits during school hours, would be discontinued. Then came a social media post by parent Andreas Kaju, which brought the issue into broader public view through media coverage. And the issue hasn't faded — it's gaining momentum.

It would be interesting to know why this educational and horizon-broadening practice for children has only now come under such strict prohibition.

The Constitution is treated rather strangely in Estonia. For example, the chancellor of justice has argued that the state budget drafted by this government, which includes the education minister, is not in line with the Constitution. Yet the government has shown no particular, let alone strong, reaction to this. One might also ask whether the various directives and draft laws produced by the Ministry of Education and Research are always created in the spirit of the Constitution and especially its preamble.

What I find even more interesting is whether the Estonian state functions as a unified entity at all, because right now it certainly doesn't seem like it. Let me explain, using the example of museums.

The Ministry of Culture and local governments are full or partial owners of the museums operating in Estonia. These museums are subject to strict self-financing requirements, meaning that the maintenance costs covered by the state or local authorities account for only part of their operations — the rest they must earn themselves.

School classes are exceptionally important to museums and vice versa. Above all, this is because museums are informal educational institutions that convey various aspects of Estonian culture. They house our cultural memory and museums work hard to share that knowledge with students using the most modern approaches available.

School groups are also vital to museums for another reason: educational programs are a crucial source of self-generated revenue for these institutions.

And here's where the contradiction lies. Around the world, there are countries where museum visits are free. That's their cultural policy: to make their memory and culture as accessible as possible. The prerequisite is that these museums are adequately funded, so ticket revenue is not existentially necessary for them to operate.

We have chosen a different path. I'm not saying it's necessarily the wrong one — Estonian museums are world-class in terms of their innovative solutions and exhibitions. The need to generate independent income has undoubtedly been a driver of that innovation.

But if taking students to museums during school hours and asking parents to help cover the cost is considered illegal, then these trips will, in most cases, simply no longer happen. The limited support from the "Culture Backpack" [Kultuuriranits] program is not enough, nor is the fact that Tallinn, to its credit, has created a youth culture ticket system that provides all kindergartens and schools with one free educational visit to a cultural institution per year.

Which leads me to ask: Do we have a coherent national education policy? The Ministry of Education itself has included out-of-school excursions in the curriculum. These are clearly important for broadening students' horizons. But on the other hand, do we have a coherent cultural policy that ensures cultural continuity through the education system? The answer to both questions seems to be no.

One ministry says: take children on educational field trips, but don't ask parents for money to do so. Another ministry says: pay for those visits because museums and theaters aren't free.

As if it weren't already bad enough that there is no Estonian cultural history course in the curriculum, now this whole "culture thing" is being pulled back even further. Apparently, one museum or theater visit per year is more than enough for our children!

Honestly, I find myself agreeing with those who have said that a minister representing a party with less than 2 percent support in the polls should not be making decisions that affect the whole country. Put plainly: the best course of action would be for the minister to step aside and leave problem-solving to someone more culturally minded.

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