Estonia says foreign online schooling cannot meet study requirement

Children under 18 who live in Estonia must study at an Estonian school or take part in education arranged by a school provider, and enrolment in a foreign online school does not fulfil that obligation, the Ministry of Education says, ERR reported.

The ministry told local governments and schools that the requirement applies to children who have moved to Estonia, apart from exceptions set out in the rules. Tartu City Government’s education department asked which law established the requirement, saying it was not explicit in the Education Act.

Ministry chief expert Marika Peekmann said the requirement followed from the Education Act and the Basic Schools and Upper Secondary Schools Act read together. She said accepting foreign schooling as sufficient would make it difficult for local governments to check whether a student was learning, how much they were studying, whether the education matched their level and whether their studies continued without interruption.

Peekmann said Estonia could not automatically assess the legal status, curriculum or teaching arrangements of foreign schools, or verify that students achieved the expected learning outcomes. She said these concerns were particularly pronounced with online and alternative foreign education providers.

The ministry said the study requirement reform is intended not only to ensure that young people are in some form of education, but also to reduce interruptions to education and the number of young people who are neither studying nor working. The ministry said students need to be visible in Estonia’s education records so that support can be provided when necessary.

From this school year, the study requirement has been extended until age 18. Students who finish basic school must continue in upper secondary school, vocational education or preparatory education. The requirement does not apply to children of foreign diplomats.