Ministry says admissions changes would give students more options

The Ministry of Education says proposed changes to the upper secondary and vocational school admissions schedule would better protect students’ interests, ERR reported. School leaders fear the changes would sharply increase their workload, but the ministry says it is ready to discuss the timetable and find a solution that works for more schools.

Under a draft prepared by the ministry, admissions tests for vocational schools and upper secondary schools could begin on the eighth working day after the final basic school examination. Schools would have to submit their offers of study places by June 9.

The school leaders’ association has criticised the plan, saying it would shorten the time available for admissions activities and substantially increase schools’ workload.

Ülle Matsin, head of the ministry’s Department of General and Vocational Education, said no draft is prepared without the possibility of receiving feedback. She said the ministry would discuss with the association how to make the admissions timetable as smooth and suitable as possible for schools.

Matsin said the proposed change was prompted by this year’s schedule, under which admissions activities could begin the day after basic school examination results were released.

“There could have been students who, after receiving their examination results, could no longer do anything with their applications if the results were not as good as they had expected,” Matsin told ERR. Students with lower results might have found themselves unable to take part in admissions or submit applications elsewhere because there was no time window left to change their choices.

The ministry therefore proposed leaving a gap between the release of examination results and the start of admissions. Matsin said the school leaders’ association could suggest how many days would be needed for students to review whether their applications were appropriate.

According to Matsin, this could reduce the number of students who fail to secure a place in the main admissions round.

“We are still discussing all of this with the board of the school leaders’ association and will certainly find a compromise that suits students as well as possible,” she said.

The draft also contains other changes that have drawn criticism. The ministry wants admissions to preparatory studies, which began on July 1 this year, to start only on September 1 next year.

The Association for the Advancement of Vocational Education said it was unreasonable for young people who had not secured a place at an upper secondary or vocational school to remain uncertain about their future for the entire summer.

The Chamber of People with Disabilities said the proposal ignored the needs of people with special needs, as planning an education path for young people requiring support takes more time and preparation.

Matsin said places in preparatory studies are opened by ministerial order. Schools assigned this task would be able to count on the places planned for them for preparatory studies.

She added that the current admissions process had highlighted a weakness: admissions to preparatory studies could not be treated too casually, because most students should still find at least a suitable vocational programme.