Student representative rejects forcing youths into unwanted schools

More than 1,000 students who completed ninth grade in the spring still have no place at a gymnasium, ERR reported, citing Tristan Eriste, deputy chair of the Estonian School Student Councils Union.

Eriste said the extension of compulsory education to age 18 had been implemented without adequately considering the number of places available in different types of schools or the fact that many students want to enter vocational education.

He also blamed the failure to complete SAIS3, the planned admissions platform that all schools were supposed to use. As a result, there is no reliable data on which students have been admitted and where, Eriste said.

He called for quick solutions rather than a search for someone to blame, saying that young people who still do not know where they will study need support and clarity.

More precise information on who is studying and who is not is expected by the middle of September. One possible solution is to direct students to preparatory education intended for young people who have developed significant learning gaps during their nine years of schooling, for example because of limited Estonian-language skills.

In Tallinn and Tartu, where the need for gymnasium places is greatest, all preparatory education places have already been filled, Eriste said.

The education minister said in a press release several days ago that state gymnasiums had more than 130 available places, while vocational education had 1,028 places in four-year programmes and 312 places in other programmes.

Eriste said those places could not simply be assigned to students who did not want them. A student seeking a general secondary education could not be directed into training to become a welder against their wishes, he said.

“Some ministry officials have taken the position that at least the young person will learn something, but it is a waste of resources to direct a student to train for a job they do not want and will not pursue,” Eriste said.

He added that gymnasiums were no longer dismissing students as easily as before and were offering them support.

Eriste said the most important task now was to learn from the mistakes and prevent them from being repeated. He said the problems were known and that all interested parties should work together to resolve them.