Kallas says school admissions stress will persist next year

Education Minister Kristina Kallas says pressure on ninth-grade graduates seeking upper-secondary school places is likely to remain high next year, ERR reports. Tallinn deputy mayor Andrei Kante, meanwhile, says the city is not yet sure a new admissions system will be ready to launch.

This year, many graduates struggled to secure places at upper-secondary schools in Tallinn and Tartu, including students with average grades. The delay in launching the Education Ministry’s new SAIS3 admissions system added to the uncertainty, and many young people still did not know where they would study by the end of August. A reform extending the obligation to study also took effect in autumn.

Kallas said competition for popular schools is likely to increase as more young people apply. She said admissions should not rely only on the basic school leaving exam, since a poor result in one exam can limit a student’s options. Another problem is that applicants submit an average of five applications each. The current parliament will not have time to change that arrangement.

Kallas said SAIS3 is nearly ready, with only the function for ranking school preferences still to be completed. She expects it to be ready in early December, after which schools can test the system. Kante said Tallinn would not rush to change its admissions rules until the ministry confirms the system will launch, adding that the city does not yet have that assurance.

Kallas said the new system would not reduce the stress of admissions in spring 2027 because large cohorts of students are moving on from basic school and competition for upper-secondary places will remain intense. Kante warned that the period could be particularly tense because electronic exams are also being introduced, and said there was a lack of information about the change.

About 251 graduates are not currently studying

Kallas rejected claims that the study-obligation reform had been rushed, saying preparations began in 2023. She said the first year of any change is difficult, but early figures show the reform is moving towards its goal of allowing as many young people as possible to continue their education rather than remain at home.

About 1,300 young people did not have a school place on the last day of August. Now, about 251 students who completed ninth grade in spring are not studying anywhere in Estonia: more than 60 are abroad and around 180 are in the country. Kallas said officials had been unable to reach about half of them by phone or email. In Tallinn, 78 young people are in this situation, and the city has not been able to contact 30 of them, Kante said.