Since the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of children who are either unwilling or unable to attend school, said Karmen Maikalu, head of the Estonian School Psychologists' Association. Some students skip only the last classes of the day or miss a few days at a time, but there is also a significant number who experience persistent school refusal. According to Maikalu, the reasons behind this vary widely.

"There are many children who, for various reasons, are dealing with depression or have already developed an anxiety disorder. Some struggle with social anxiety, making it extremely difficult for them to function in environments with lots of people. For many children, the school environment is also noisy and overstimulating," Maikalu said.

She added that there are also children who spend most of their time at home glued to their phones or computers and find it hard to disconnect. Others feel excluded or bullied at school or simply haven't found their place in the school community.

Viktoria Latova-Kütt, a board member of the Estonian Association of Social Pedagogues, confirmed that bullying, screen addiction and social anxiety are common across all schools.

Latova-Kütt noted that during recess she increasingly sees students sitting side by side, playing games or interacting through digital platforms rather than engaging in face-to-face conversation.

"In terms of age-appropriate development, when social anxiety is already high, different external factors can amplify it. And the effects of COVID, when young people were stuck at home, were mixed. For some, their academic performance improved. But for many others, returning to school afterward was very difficult," she said.

Jürgen Rakaselg, head of inclusive education at the Ministry of Education and Research, acknowledged that schools are in a challenging position. "It's clear that even if a student is physically present in school, meaningful learning can't happen if their mind is overwhelmed with worry," he said. While schools can take steps to address bullying, their ability to intervene in screen addiction and anxiety is more limited. Significant change in those areas can only happen if families are willing to engage and make an effort.

Maiu Menning, a social pedagogue at Põlva School who recently wrote about these concerns in the local newspaper, also sees close cooperation between families and schools as key to solving the problem.

"School absenteeism really begins in the second stage of basic education. In the early years, we don't see it," Menning said. She emphasized that schools hope parents will recognize the issue and take the initiative to contact the school and be more proactive.

"The school can do its part by providing a safe environment for learning. And when we notice patterns of absence, we try to understand the behavior behind it, talk to the students and identify the reasons for their absence," the social pedagogue explained.

Karmen Maikalu added that anyone with questions can call the free school psychologists' helpline at 1226.

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