MUBA director says new funding model overlooks school’s needs
Wednesday 28th October 2026 on 16:15 in
Estonia
Tallinn Music and Ballet School (MUBA) has received extra funding from the Ministry of Education and Research for 2026, but says the government’s new funding model does not account for the school’s particular needs, ERR reports.
MUBA director Piret Rips said the need for additional money stems directly from the model, which took effect on January 1, 2026. She said it fails to adequately reflect the school’s teaching arrangements and related costs. Talks on the school’s 2027 budget are continuing, with a focus on adapting the model to better reflect MUBA’s needs.
Rips said long-term, sustainable funding is essential for the school to fulfil its national role of providing high-quality general, music and dance education.
Alo Savi, a senior adviser in the ministry’s state schools department, said the ministry had approved the requested additional funding for MUBA’s 2026 budget. He rejected the claim that the model was fundamentally flawed, saying it had undergone extensive review and was designed to direct more resources to post-basic education and vocational secondary education.
Savi said every vocational school has its own characteristics, but must also provide training needed by the Estonian labour market and important to preserving the Estonian language and culture. The model includes a two-year transition period for this year and next. Schools whose budgets have fallen by more than five percent, including MUBA, can apply for extra funding to maintain teaching while they make changes.
The ministry said MUBA has reduced its administration, which it described as previously oversized, and reviewed its curricula. It expects the school’s budget to return to balance by the end of 2027 under the current model.
The ministry has set up a commission, including representatives of vocational schools, to assess the model’s effects. Savi said it would review feedback from schools, budget execution and changes to course offerings, then make recommendations. The education and research minister would make any final decision on changes to the model.
ERR reported in September that MUBA had requested 379,702 euros in additional funding to cover its budget shortfall and complete the year’s teaching without interruption.