Demand for preparatory education places exceeds initial estimate

Demand for preparatory education places in Estonia has proved higher than initially estimated, ERR reported, with some young people who completed basic school still without a place after the school year began.

This year, a legal obligation to continue education took effect for all basic-school graduates. In Pärnu, 82 students still lacked a study place as of September 1. The city said these were not young people temporarily left without a place during the usual admissions process, but students who need additional support to continue their studies.

Pärnu Deputy Mayor Ene Täht told Education Minister Kristina Kallas that the group included nearly one class of students with special educational needs, nearly one class of Ukrainian students with limited Estonian-language skills, and young people with low motivation to study. She said they needed more flexible forms of education and greater individual support.

Pärnu needs at least two additional preparatory education groups at Pärnu Education Centre and has asked the Education Ministry for extra funding. Without the additional groups, Täht said, the city could not offer enough suitable places or support measures for the students covered by the education obligation.

The Education Ministry acknowledged that Pärnu might not be the only area facing the problem. Ministry adviser Elo Eesmää told ERR that similar needs could emerge elsewhere, and that the ministry was working with local governments and schools to determine how many additional places were needed and how they could be created.

“We are not waiting for the September 10 data, but are working continuously to find solutions,” Eesmää said. In Pärnu, the ministry is discussing with the education centre how to provide the necessary places. The number of young people without a place in Pärnu had fallen by half by Thursday, she added.

Schools must submit their data to the Estonian Education Information System by September 10. After that, local government specialists must contact each young person who has stopped studying and find an individual solution by November 1 at the latest.

The ministry has previously told ERR that it is prepared to create new places in both vocational and preparatory education during September. When drafting the legislation on preparatory education, it estimated that about 800 students would belong to the target group.