Tartu schools plan to introduce drone courses this autumn

Tartu plans to add drone training to upper-secondary school curricula in the coming academic year, ERR reported. Students would take the course as an elective, although its start date and structure have not yet been decided.

City representatives, upper-secondary school leaders and the Estonian Defence Resources Agency will meet in August to discuss the course content and the equipment needed to teach it.

Kaisa Keisk, Tartu’s chief specialist for education organisation, said the course was partly prompted by the increased need for national defence skills.

“We would like to see young people who are interested in these topics and want to engage not only with drones, but with engineering more broadly,” Keisk told ERR. She said early hands-on experience could encourage students to consider careers in these fields later.

Urmo Uiboleht, head of Tartu Private School, and Lembi Loigu, head of studies at Jaan Poska Gymnasium, agreed that introducing the course was important for national defence and that schools needed to adapt to technological development. Uiboleht nevertheless questioned whether the course could fit into the curriculum.

Keisk said several schools already had teachers with the necessary skills and qualifications, including permits to fly drones and teach related subjects. Discussions are still under way about what equipment should be acquired and how it could be provided to schools, including drone simulators and other tools.

Jaan Poska Gymnasium has offered students a drone training club since 2017. The club is opened if enough students apply, and Loigu said it has operated every year so far and continues to attract interest.

Keisk said it was unlikely that other upper-secondary schools would begin offering drone training in September. Schools will be allowed to introduce the course gradually, she said.

The format of the training also remains undecided because drone flights are subject to restrictions. Keisk said the most likely option was to begin with simulators. Other possibilities include training indoors or cooperating with a company or another organisation in Tartu that has facilities where drones can be flown in real-life conditions.

Developing drone training is part of Tartu’s engineering action plan, which aims to strengthen technology and engineering skills in schools and kindergartens.