Education Minister Kristina Kallas (Eesti 200) said Monday that the guidelines for organizing school trips need to be written more clearly, adding that the state and local governments must find the missing funding for such trips.

"This is a shared responsibility. We cannot assume that parents will fund them by default," Kallas said.

However, funding or increasing funding for school trips will not be handled through the Ministry of Education. Instead, the plan is to increase support under the Culture Backpacks (Kultuuriranits) program administered by the Ministry of Culture. This was made clear in Kallas's response to a question from ERR about whether she intends to request funding for school trips in next year's state budget.

"Funding school trips is part of the broader discussion on education financing. Increasing support for the Cultural Backpacks program falls within the Ministry of Culture's area of responsibility. If the culture minister puts forward this proposal, I will certainly support it, as it will help schools better organize trips and cultural experiences and provide them with the financial support they need," Kallas said.

The role of the state and local governments is to ensure that the natural components of the learning process are accessible, Kallas added.

Culture Minister Heidy Purga (Reform) told ERR on Monday that the current cultural backpack support averages €11 per primary and lower secondary school student per year, but given the cost of theater tickets, for example, it should be at least €30.

"I have various scenarios for the upcoming state budget negotiations for next year and the funding for the Cultural Backpacks program should be higher — that is what I will be asking for," Purga said.

On Tuesday, Kallas met with representatives of cultural institutions and according to the ministry, all parties agreed that school trips, museum visits and other cultural events are a natural and important part of enriching the curriculum.

Education minister: Voluntary contributions welcome

Minister of Education Kristina Kallas answered questions that have arisen regarding the funding of school trips and participation in cultural events in a social media post on Tuesday.

In response to a question about whether voluntary contributions — so-called class funds — can be collected from parents for school trips and events, Kallas said yes, such funds may be collected from parents and used to organize trips, class events and excursions.

"It is important that all children in the class can take part in these activities, regardless of the size of their parents' contribution," she noted, adding that class funds and other donations must be voluntary.

Asked whether schools may collect donations from parents to support school trips, Kallas said that schools may also collect donations from parents and others and use the funds to organize trips. Schools must establish clear conditions for collecting and using the money.

These funds may be used to support students whose families are unable to pay, as it is important that all children can participate in school trips and events regardless of their parents' contributions, Kallas added.

More than 400 cultural and educational institutions and teachers have signed an appeal to the Ministry of Education and Research, warning of the consequences of a decline in school trips. The signatories called on the ministry to provide clear guidelines on how to properly organize such trips.

The appeal, signed by 110 organizations and 280 education leaders and teachers from 138 schools, states that the implementation of the ministry's guidance document "Donations and funding practices in general education schools" has led to a significant decrease in school trips, negatively affecting the development of students in Estonia.

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