The issue particularly affects Russian-speaking students, Kante said, during a period of transition to Estonian-only education.

"There are currently 854 young people in Tallinn without a place to study, or nearly a fifth of those who have completed basic school," Kante said, speaking at a Tallinn City Government press conference on Tuesday. "The problem is particularly acute among graduates of transition schools: 28.7 percent of these currently have no place to study, compared with 12.8 percent of graduates of Estonian-language schools," she added.

According to figures presented by Tallinn's deputy mayor responsible for education, 480 graduates of transition schools and 320 graduates of Estonian-language schools have no place to study. "So the numbers are actually fairly comparable," Kante said.

In her assessment, the compulsory education reform has not got off to the intended start.

"The state imposed an obligation on young people to continue studying, but did not ensure that everyone actually had an opportunity to do so," she noted.

According to Kante, many young people's academic results do not meet the admission requirements for upper secondary or vocational schools, and many need additional support in Estonian and mathematics.

"I agree with the Human Development Report committee: the prerequisites for completing basic school are sufficient Estonian proficiency and strong mathematical competence. We need to find the missing Estonian and mathematics teachers. Secondly, the state and local governments need to honestly assess teaching quality and make necessary decisions," Kante said.

No basic school graduate should leave with inadequate Estonian skills, she said. "As for mathematical competence, the teacher shortage in our education system will soon be such that future generations will also be unable to receive high-quality education in mathematics and the sciences," the deputy mayor added.

Kante said Tallinn has used all options: admitting students to adult upper secondary schools, holding an additional admissions round, and filling state-commissioned preparatory places at Tallinn Applied College.

"But we could do more. Tallinn can create additional preparatory study groups, and we are ready to begin negotiations with the ministry today. The problem is known and an appropriate solution must be found urgently," she said.

Recruitment is nearing completion. While there were nearly 300 vacant teaching positions in June, there are currently 170. "Unfortunately, this trend continues – our system is consistently short of around 200 teachers. However, recruitment will continue into the first weeks of September, so the figures are not yet final," Kante added.

According to Kante, vacancies are evenly spread between Estonian and Russian-language schools, with the greatest need for primary teachers, maths and Estonian teachers, and support specialists — a total of 38 unfilled support positions.

Kante said while 300 assistant teachers have left kindergartens because of the B2 language proficiency requirement, just over half that total, or 160 new assistant teachers, have already made up some of the shortfall. A further 34 positions are being recruited citywide, she added.

The switch to Estonian education will began in kindergartens and basic school (Põhikool), which is the mandatory component of education. The process is set for completion in 2030. Tallinn and Ida-Viru County as the regions with the largest numbers of native Russian speakers are the most affected.

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