The City of Tallinn is negotiating with state real estate manager RKAS so that Old Town Educational College (VHK), which currently operates out of several Old Town buildings in need of renovation, could move into the former Ministry of Rural Affairs building at Lai tänav 39/41, which is also located in the Old Town.

Tallinn Deputy Mayor for Education Andrei Kante told ERR that the city has so far not renovated VHK's existing buildings because the school operates on multiple properties and alternatives have been sought, the most obvious of which is the former Ministry of Rural Affairs building on Lai tänav.

"The city is planning a property swap. There are certain properties in which State Real Estate has strong interest, while our clear interest is the former Ministry of Rural Affairs building," Kante said.

Although the idea is not new, the plan has now advanced to the point that representatives of the city and RKAS met on Tuesday to discuss the possibility of exchanging the Lai tänav property for several properties owned by the city.

Serob Asatrjan, head of RKAS's portfolio management department, said that the potential properties to be exchanged have been selected in cooperation with the city government and that expert valuations have been commissioned to determine their market value.

"We believe reaching an agreement is possible," Asatrjan said. "After reviewing the valuation reports, we will continue negotiations. Under the current timetable, we hope to reach an agreement no later than July."

According to Kante, the city hopes to bring the matter before the City Council as early as August. However, that does not mean VHK would be able to move to Lai tänav immediately, as the building has not been adapted for educational use and is clearly a longer-term prospect.

Tallinn schools increasingly in need of renovation

Asked about schools that have struggled with issues such as classrooms being too cold in winter or lacking hot water, Kante mentioned not only VHK but also Tallinn Open School, which had operated at Auna 6 but is now moving to Karjamaa tänav.

"I can't think of any others with heating problems off the top of my head, but that doesn't mean there aren't any. The need for renovations tends to grow over the years and the biggest question here is whether to build fewer new buildings or renovate older ones. But to answer that, we also need to determine how our school network will develop in light of demographic trends," Kante said.

According to him, there is currently no danger of any schools being closed, though in the future some schools may need to redefine themselves with a specific focus or discontinue their upper secondary level. For now, however, all such scenarios remain speculative.

Kante said there are many schools in need of renovation and the Education Department is trying to carry out ongoing repairs within the limits of the budget.

"We increased this year's budget by €2 million in order to address this problem systematically," he said.

Asked about Mayor Peeter Raudsepp's proposal that standard designs should be used more often instead of architectural competitions, Kante said it all depends on what the city wants to achieve.

For example, standard designs would not have been possible for the Tallinn Secondary School of Science currently under construction, Westholm High School or the new Kalamaja Basic School building that is in the design phase. At the same time, the recently completed Loitsu Kindergarten is a good example of a standard design, as is Liikuri Kindergarten, which recently celebrated its topping-out ceremony. These are standardized projects, but in Kante's view they are entirely appropriate.

When it comes to preschool education, the deputy mayor also sees involving private capital as part of the solution for renovating buildings, especially in new developments where developers are willing to contribute.

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