Estonia wants more 14-year-olds to learn air rifle shooting

Estonia wants as many 14-year-olds as possible to learn how to shoot an air rifle, the public broadcaster ERR reported. This school year, nearly 20 schools are offering expanded national defence education to pupils nearing the end of basic school.

The Defence Resources Agency launched a national defence year project this year to introduce the subject in eighth grade. National defence education is currently compulsory in upper secondary school, but it does not have to be taught as a separate subject in eighth grade, said Aare Jamnes, head of the agency’s national defence education bureau.

Twenty-three schools expressed interest in the project this school year, and the agency hopes more will join in the coming years. Its aim is for all Estonian schools to integrate national defence education into eighth-grade teaching.

The programme can include quizzes on national defence, visits to military units and air rifle lessons. Schools can arrange shooting instruction themselves, with the state offering separate training for shooting coaches. Alternatively, a school can take pupils to a nearby shooting range, where coaches and equipment are available.

Jamnes said a safe air pistol range could also be set up in a school gym. He said shooting lessons could help young people develop their skills and become better prepared for national defence. He also argued that group activities and sport could support young people’s mental wellbeing.

Taking part in shooting is voluntary. Pupils will not be required to shoot if they do not want to, or if their parents object, Jamnes said.