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EstoniaFrom Researching Virtual Initiatives in Educationby Jüri Lõssenko of EITF For entities in Estonia see Category:Estonia
Partners situated in EstoniaEstonian Information Technology Foundation
Estonia in a nutshell(mainly sourced from: Wikipedia and OECD Thematic Review of Tertiary Education – Country Background Report for Estonia.)
Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia is a country in Northern Europe in the Baltic region. Its territory covers only 45,227 km² and is divided into 15 counties. Estonia is a democratic parliamentary republic. Its capital and largest city is Tallinn. Estonia was a member of the League of Nations from 1921, has been a member of the United Nations since 1991, of the European Union since 2004 and of NATO since 2004. With only 1.4 million inhabitants, Estonia comprises one of the smallest populations of the EU countries. In 1918, the Estonian Declaration of Independence was issued, to be followed by the Estonian War of Independence (1918-1920), which resulted in the Tartu Peace Treaty recognizing Estonian independence in perpetuity. During World War II, Estonia was occupied and annexed first by the Soviet Union and subsequently by the Third Reich, only to be re-occupied by the Soviet Union in 1944. Estonia regained its independence in 1991 and it has since embarked on a rapid program of social and economic reform. Today, the country has gained recognition for its economic freedom, its adaptation of new technologies and as one of the world's fastest growing economies. The official language in Estonia is Estonian, which belongs to the Finno-Ugric language family and is closely related to Finnish. Along with Finnish, English, Russian and German are also widely spoken and understood. The major minority language is Russian with its speakers making up about 30 % of the population. Russian-language education is provided in public and also in private schools at all levels: pre-school, basic and secondary schools, as well as vocational schools higher education institutions. About 24 % of all Estonian school children attend Russian-language basic and secondary schools. Some 10 % of higher education students study in Russian.
Education in EstoniaEstonian education policy(mainly sourced from: The Estonia Page and OECD Thematic Review of Tertiary Education – Country Background Report for Estonia.)
Everybody has the right to an education in the Estonian language. In an educational institution in which minority students predominate, the language is chosen by the educational institution. Education is under the supervision of the state. The Education Act has established that the objective of education is:
A wide network of schools and supporting educational institutions has been established in Estonia. The Estonian educational system consists of state, municipal, public and private educational institutions. The Education Act states that in accordance with the UNESCO international standard of education classification, education has the following levels: pre-primary education, basic education, secondary education and higher education. Each level has its established requirements, which are called the state educational standards and are presented together with state curricula. The curricula contain the mandatory study programs, time scheduled to cover the programs, and descriptions of compulsory knowledge, skills, experience and behavioral norms. Estonian education system(mainly sourced from: The Estonia Page and OECD Thematic Review of Tertiary Education – Country Background Report for Estonia.) Basic education is established by a national curriculum of basic and secondary education. On the basis of the national curriculum, schools compile their own curricula. Basic education covers grades from one to nine. Basic education in Estonia is compulsory. Basic education is mainly taught at municipal schools (basic school classes at primary, basic and secondary schools). Local governments determine a service area for each school where it is obliged to guarantee all school-age children the opportunity to study. Secondary education is voluntary and free at state and municipal educational institutions. General secondary education is acquired at upper-secondary schools (grades 10-12), and vocational education at vocational education institutions. Secondary education is governed by a national curriculum of basic and secondary education (general secondary education) or by a national vocational education curriculum and national curricula of vocations (vocational secondary education). Access to higher education is regulated by the Universities Act and the Institutions of Professional Higher Education Act. Students having either a general secondary school-leaving certificate (12 years of schooling) or a secondary vocational school-leaving certificate (based on qualifications of different length) and the State Examination Certificate have access to higher education. In addition, those having a corresponding foreign qualification can gain access. But access for all students is subject to discretion of higher education institutions. Merit plays the dominant role in the access to the specific programs. There are three types of educational institutions that provide higher education: universities (ülikool) - institutions of research, development, study and culture at all higher education levels in several fields of study; professional higher education institutions (rakenduskõrgkool) - educational institutions of professional higher education and Magister-study; and vocational education schools (kutseõppeasutus) - institutions of secondary vocational. The different legal forms of HEIs are: public, state and private. Private institutions can be owned by a public limited company or private limited company entered in the commercial register or by a foundation or non-profit association entered into the non-profit associations and foundations register. Both public (or state) and private higher education institutions are authorized to operate.
Schools in EstoniaGeneral education is divided into two parts: basic education (9 years: age 7 to 16) which is compulsory for all children in Estonia and secondary general education. Since 1993, the Basic School Leaving Certificate, obtained at the end of basic education, provides a student with the right to continue at the next level which offers two streams (in three further years): 1) Secondary general school/gymnasium education and 2) vocational education. Upon graduation of secondary general education, students obtain the Gumnaasiumi loputunnistus (Secondary School Leaving Certificate) which gives access to higher education. Basic education is established by a national curriculum of basic and secondary education. On the basis of the national curriculum, schools compile their own curricula. Basic education covers grades one to nine. Basic education in Estonia is compulsory. According to the Education Act, every child reaching seven years of age on 1 October must attend school until basic education is acquired or until he or she is 17 years old. Basic education is mainly taught at municipal schools (basic school classes at primary, basic and secondary schools). Local governments determine a service area for each school where it is obliged to guarantee all school-age children the opportunity to study. In exceptional cases, basic education can also be acquired at home. Secondary education is voluntary and free at state and municipal educational institutions. General secondary education is acquired at upper-secondary schools (gümnaasium, grades 10-12), and vocational education at vocational education institutions. Secondary education is governed by a national curriculum of basic and secondary education (general secondary education) or by a national vocational education curriculum and national curricula of vocations (vocational secondary education). Generally, about 95 % of those who graduate from day basic school go on to secondary schools; about 70 % of them to upper-secondary schools (gümnaasium); and 25 % to vocational schools. Further and Higher education in Estonia(mainly sourced from: OECD Thematic Review of Tertiary Education – Country Background Report for Estonia.)
Universities in EstoniaThere are six public universities in Estonia: Tallinn University (with 7,350 students in 2005), the University of Tartu (18,536) – the oldest in the country (created in 1632), Tallinn University of Technology (10,700), the Estonian University of Life Sciences (4 752), the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre (567) and the Estonian Academy of Art (962). Although these institutions already existed in 1991, significant changes in their operation have occurred since then. Additionally, several of them have established a number of semi-independent (regional) colleges in the past 15 years. The public universities together catered for about two-thirds of the 68,287 students enrolled in Estonian HEIs in 2005.
Polytechnics in EstoniaThe third sector, vocational education schools, consists of six public institutions and one private institution. The total number of students in this sector is 4,359. They range in size from 30 to 1,322 students. These institutions offer not only tertiary education but also secondary-level education.
Colleges in EstoniaEducation reformSchoolsLarge majority of the school reform has centred around gradual shift in proportion of instruction in Russian language. After Estonia regained its independence in 1991, the number of pupils in Russian schools had risen to 35%. The Law on Basic and Secondary School, approved in September 1993, foresaw the transfer to Estonian-language instruction in all state and municipal gymnasiums by the year 2000, a target that quickly became unrealistic. The basic Russian-language schools had to give their students sufficient knowledge of Estonian for that purpose as well as facing an additional task of integrating other language speakers into the Estonian society. As of the 2011/2012 academic year, Estonian will be the language of instruction in all upper secondary schools in Estonia. The schools can choose the Estonian curriculum or Estonian as a second language curriculum as the basis for teaching Estonian, and organize the state examination necessary for graduation according to the curriculum they have chosen (either a composition in Estonian or an examination in Estonian as a second language). The upper secondary school curriculum contains a minimum of 57 courses where Estonian is used as the language of instruction (one course equals 35 lessons). The transition of compulsory subjects to Estonian language instruction in upper secondary schools where Russian has heretofore been used as the language of instruction has been gradual with each subsequent stage of the transition concerning pupils who start the 10th grade in the given academic year. Pupils starting the 10th grade in 2011 or later will have to study 60% of school subjects in Estonian. There are 62 upper secondary schools with Russian as the language of instruction in Estonia, all of which will switch to Estonian language subject study in accordance with the schedule and procedure established in the regulation of the Government of the Republic. In basic schools, the owner of the school (generally the local government) will choose the language of instruction. Post-secondary(mainly sourced from: OECD Thematic Review of Tertiary Education – Country Background Report for Estonia.)
Administration and financeSchools and post-secondaryThe majority of general education schools – 517 of 582 schools in 2008 – are municipal schools, while 31 schools are state schools and 34 are private schools. Of the state schools, 27 are for pupils with special needs and 4 are ordinary schools. This means that general education schools are mainly funded from the budgets of local governments. Local governments have the competence to establish, reorganize and close general education schools and to organize the transportation of pupils to and from schools, catering during study periods, etc. Support for covering education expenditures is allocated to rural municipalities and cities from the state budget. Funds for ensuring the minimum wages and continuing education of teachers as well as allocations for investments1, school lunches and expenditures associated with textbooks and study aids constitute the majority of the support. Support is also provided on the same principles for private general education schools. The funds allocated to local governments for covering education costs in 2008 amounted to 3.274 billion EEK. Allocations for education expenses increased 14% when compared to 2007. In 2009, 3.049 billion EEK was allocated, marking a 7% decrease in the funding provided for education expenses compared to 2008. The cost of providing school lunches for basic school pupils in the 2008/2009 academic year amounted to 225 million EEK. The total public expenditure on general education in 2007 amounted to 6.5 billion EEK, which demonstrates a considerable increase over the years of 2006 and 2007 (12% and 14%, respectively). The high growth rate is largely the result of the coalition’s endeavours to raise the minimum salary of teachers2 to the same level as the national average salary within four years. As a result of this, the minimum salary of teachers in general education schools increased by approximately 20% a year from 2006 to 2008 (23%, 18%, and 22%, respectively).
State budget allocations to the budgets of local governments constitute more than a half (57% in 2007) of the total expenditure in the area of general education. At the same time, the general education expenditure of local governments makes up 34% of their total expenditure. The relative importance of local governments in the public sector’s expenditure on general education has decreased over the years – the contribution of local governments to the funding of general education schools constituted more than half of the total expenditure until the end of the 1990s. Higher education(mainly sourced from: The Estonia Page and OECD Thematic Review of Tertiary Education – Country Background Report for Estonia.)
Quality assurance, inspection and accreditationSchools and post-secondaryThe major act regulating schools providing general education is Basic Schools and Upper Secondary Schools Act, which has been changed almost every year since it was passed in the Riigikogu in 1993. The act is mainly consisting of authority tools providing municipalities and schools with autonomy in different aspects of organizing basic and upper secondary schools in Estonia. It also divides the responsibilities for funding matters and regulates different requirements or states who and where regulates different requirements for students and their parents, teachers and management of school, municipalities and other involved bodies. There have been two major regulations directed to the quality of general education that have been imposed on the system in last decade. The first one is downsizing the maximum number of students in the class and the second one is setting the qualification requirements for teachers. The upper limit of class size for 1-9th grade was changed in 2004 from 36 to 24. The second important regulation concerns the qualification requirements for teachers. Since the deficit of qualified teachers is an important issue in rural areas, which tend to be poorer as well, it is commonly believed that the students in these areas are most disadvantaged. The teacher qualification requirements were set by the regulation of the Minister of Education in 2002. Estonia has participated in several international comparative studies, e.g. the PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) survey comparing the academic performance of students was conducted in Estonian schools by the OECD for the first time in April 2006. According to average performance, Estonian pupils ranked fifth on the science scale after Finland, Hong Kong (China), Canada and Taiwan (China), in reading they ranked thirteenth and in mathematics they were fourteenth. According to the percentage of pupils at each proficiency level on the science scale, Estonian pupils ranked second after Finland, twelfth in reading and ninth in mathematics.
Higher education(mainly sourced from: OECD Thematic Review of Tertiary Education – Country Background Report for Estonia.)
Estonian information society(mainly sourced from: ICT Infrastructure and E-readiness Assessment Report: ESTONIA. and Estonian Information Society Strategy 2013.)
ICT in education initiativesOpen Estonia FoundationThe Open Estonia Foundation (OEF), a charitable foundation established in 1990 with the help and funding of Georg Soros, made a remarkable contribution to eLearning especially in the early stages during the 1990s. OEF funded several extensive educational projects promoting ICT infrastructure in schools and universities as well as teacher training with a budget of about € 300,000.
Estonian Information Technology FoundationEstonian Information Technology Foundation (EITSA) is a non-profit organization founded by the Estonian Republic, University of Tartu, Tallinn University of Technology, Eesti Telekom and the Association of Estonian Information Technology and Telecommunications Companies. The 5-member Council of EITSA is made up of the representatives of the aforementioned founders. They appoint the 3 members of the Executive Board. The Foundation is annually audited by a sworn auditor.
Estonian e-Learning Development Centre(sourced from Estonian e-Learning Development Centre) The Estonian e-Learning Development Centre (ELDC) operates as a department under the umbrella of the Estonian Information Technology Foundation and coordinates the activities of two consortia – Estonian e-University and Estonian e-Vet. The main objectives of these two consortia are to instigate and facilitate cooperation in universities and vocational schools respectively, to implement e-learning solutions and support e-learning related activities based on the principles of lifelong learning. ELDC was also responsible for porting process of the Creative Commons licenses in Estonia. In year 2010, the virtual learning environments managed centrally by the ELDC included some 5500 courses with approximately 120 000 unique people enrolled in different e-courses, most of them being university students. Most courses were in Estonian, with the exception of a few English courses. There are still no curricula that one could study fully via the internet.
Estonian e-University(mainly sourced from: Estonian e-University and The UNIVe Project)
Estonian e-Vocational SchoolThe Estonian e-Vocational School was founded in 2005 in cooperation of six professional education institutions, 31 vocational education institutions, the Ministry of Education and Research and the Estonian Information Technology Foundation to promote lifelong learning under the principles of regional development and in the framework of ten thematic networks. It functions under the Estonian e-Learning Development Centre and is financed by the membership fees, the state budget and by Measure 1.1 of the EU’s Social Fund.
Tiger University ProgramThe Nations Support Program for the ICT in Higher Education "Tiger University" was approved by the Estonian Government in January 2002. Its administration was delegated to the Estonian Information Technology Foundation. The Tiger University Program goals are to:
The priorities are:
Program Council has been set up to coordinate and run the program. Together with the staff it announces the competitions, appoints experts, reviews submissions, is authorised to make allocations, and later monitors and follows up on the results. University of TartuThe University of Tartu is said to have been the alma mater for the entire educational system and the scientific research in Estonia. It was founded already in 1632. However, it became a national university - Tartu Ülikool - only in 1919. Nowadays, the university has some 11 faculties, 3 reasearch institutes and 6 colleges with more than 70 departments, institutes and clinics. The number of students is over 18,000 and the number of teaching staff some 1,300. Open UniversityThe Open University was established in 1996. The mission of the Open University was:
Tallinn UniversityTallinn University is the third largest university in Estonia, consisting of 18 institutes and 4 colleges. It has more than 8,500 students as well as more than 400 faculty members and research fellows. It is the fastest growing university in Estonia.
Tallinn Virtual UniversityTallinn Virtual University is a new initiative at the Tallinn University. It was opened in December 2008 and its aim is to make recordings of different open lectures, interviews with lecturers and university visitors, materials of seminars, summer schools, conferences among other things available to everyone. The materials can be watched online or downloaded to one's computer. The Web environment of Tallinn Virtual University is based on Toru technology and it is administered by Nagi OÜ. All videos are located in the Toru video site and can also be found through Toru search. Tallinn University of TechnologyFounded in 1918 as an engineering college (university status was granted in 1936), Tallinn University of Technology (TUT) has now become one of the largest universities in Estonia.
Virtual initiatives in schools and post-secondaryTiger Leap Foundation(mainly sourced from: Tiger Leap Foundation)
Audentes e-GymnasiumThe e-gymnasium is part of Audentes Private School and provides its enrolled learners the possibility to cover the secondary education curricula in a blended format with 16-20 hours of contact hours per month. The e-gymnasium uses Moodle as its e-learning platform. The curricula is divided into "subjects > topics > lessons", where each lesson chunk provides learner an activity for about 20 minutes. Lessons learntGeneral lessonsNotable practicesReferences
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