Today at the Riigikogu, on the initiative of the Culture Commission, a national topic of great importance was discussed on the topic of “Strong rural schools and a strong school network”.
The president of the culture commission made a presentation Heljo PikhofMinister of Education and Science Kristina Callasdirector of the Kilingi-Nõmme Gymnasium Erli Asamets and member of the board of the Union of Estonian Cities, mayor of the municipality of Tori Lauri Luur.
President of the Culture commission Heljo Pikhof he stated in his presentation that the teaching profession must regain its dignity. He noted that Estonia contributes significantly to the education system compared to other countries, but this does not guarantee the improvement of teachers’ living conditions or the best possible education, as the school network is unbalanced.
“The differences between rural and urban schools, between small-town schools and big-city schools are too great,” Pikhof said. She noted that about 25 percent of students attend rural schools, while rural schools make up half of all schools. Pikhof pointed out that for this reason, teachers in the countryside are often underemployed, adding that there are also more unqualified teachers in the countryside. Pikhof noted that, on the other hand, there is a shortage of teachers in big cities, especially in Tallinn and Tartu, and this shortage is increasing due to the shift to Estonian language learning and inclusive education.
According to Pikhof, the organization of the school network is inevitable, but this must not mean the permanent closure of small schools. “The loss of rural schools would be disastrous not only for Estonia’s regional development, but for the economy as a whole, for defense capacity, for Estonia in general. We need to find a new operating model that suits Estonia “, underlined Pikhof and recognized the work done by the Development Observatory in making investigations and proposals. “One of the solutions for scattered areas could be a multifunctional and energy-efficient community building, where such a small school is located close to home and where other major service providers can also fit. There can be a library, classrooms for seminars and culture where school events and village festivals are held, but can also be rented so that the community house can earn additional income.”
“It is certainly necessary to discuss whether and how two or more municipalities can operate a joint school,” Pikhof said. He emphasized that, taking into account the place of residence of the children and the reasonable distance from the school, the most suitable locations for schools are often close to the borders of several municipalities. “Solutions should be found so that local governments can build common schools or community buildings at the top of the pile,” Pikhof said. He added that closer cooperation between schools and neighboring municipalities could also help balance the regional surplus and deficit of teachers.
The president of the culture commission also highlighted the problem of the growing educational gap based on income and family values and stated that even in this respect, rural schools are often in worse conditions than those in large cities. Pikhof stressed that a serious discussion is needed on how to help students catch up due to background.
Minister of Education and Science Kristina Callas stressed that Estonia is one of the few countries where the education system is built from the bottom up: Estonian education is older than the Estonian state.
“We have an obligation and also an agreement throughout Estonia to ensure the same standard of education, the same access to education both in terms of quality and volume. In every corner of Estonia you can get the same good education by the same qualified teacher, with the same curriculum and the same volumes”, Kallas explained the principle of the uniform school. In addition to the unity school, he emphasized autonomy, based on science and the high status of education and teachers as fundamental principles of Estonian education.
Speaking about the principles of the educational network, the Minister of Education emphasized that our schools are very diverse, which also gives parents the opportunity to choose. “Depending on the community, we have sixth-grade primary schools, very small ones, we have separate state high schools, we have large high schools, we have regional primary schools with different cultural characteristics and we have pedagogical differences between schools,” Kallas listed. He said that the school network must also be based on the principle that, first of all, for younger children the school must be close to home, while the gym is a place of preparation for university and does not want to be a school close to home.
The minister noted that our school network was formed in the 1980s according to the planned economy and population distribution of that time and does not continue to correspond to today’s population distribution. He added that the so-called pipe schools, i.e. grades 1-12 Graduated schools are not a suitable school model today, unless it is a school with a special focus. Kallas stressed that it is necessary to organize the school network respecting the fundamental principles of education and the educational network and keeping in mind the principles of inclusive education. According to him, the division of responsibilities between the state and local government regarding the organization of the school network must also be resolved.
Kallas also talked about how the school network was organized. He indicated a support measure for maintaining small schools close to home in rural areas, consolidating middle schools in municipal centers and transferring responsibility for the high school level to the state. He also mentioned the negotiations regarding the reform of the school network in Tallinn and the organization of the school network in Ida-Virumaa with the support of the European Union, so that the school network corresponds to the location of the population and the modern concept of learning.
Principal of Kilingi-Nõmme High School Erli Asamets said that there are large educational differences in Estonia, which undoubtedly represent huge challenges, but at the same time also create a valid and broad context for culture and state.
According to Aasamets, the municipality of Saarde, on the border with Latvia, is one of the municipalities with the lowest density of institutions, where the school network has been consistently and consciously organized. “We have good experience in organizing the educational network,” she said. “We came to the conclusion that our school in Surju with a nursery is optimal. We came to the conclusion that our gymnasium is the optimal size for this area and for the location where we are located.”
The principal said that perhaps they had a different view of the economics of education. He cited, for example, that the municipality has a default agreement that no child goes out before seven and that students are provided with an adequate breakfast at school by the municipality. He noted that as a result of 15 years of work, they have the entire infrastructure on one plot: a stadium, a sports building, a gym, a music school, a library, a kindergarten and a student dormitory. According to him, the Municipality of Saarde addressed the right issues at the right time and relied on science to make key decisions.
Aasamets indicated that he has a career model for teachers and a differentiated salary system in place since 2014. He stressed that the salary should not increase when the teacher has worked well for five years, but when the teacher sees what he wants do in the next five years. “Then you have to support him,” Aasamets stressed.
Member of the Board of Directors of the Union of Estonian Cities, mayor of the municipality of Tori Lauri Luur spoke about his experiences in organizing the school network in Pärnu County. According to him, organizing the school network before the administrative reform was a difficult task, especially when managing it, for example, with one school.
Luur spoke about the decrease in the number of residents and students and the inevitability of the organization of the school network in the municipalities. “It is also clear to the municipal leaders that the school network needs to be optimized. Nobody thinks it is possible to continue like this,” said Luur. He stressed the need to develop the centers and underlined that the Pärnu County Plan has identified support points, i.e. support action centers, where it is reasonable to contribute to ensuring the continuation of rural life. Luur stressed that in a rural area, where the number of inhabitants is constantly decreasing, it is not easy to make large investments, for example to rebuild a gym or build a new one.
The mayor recommended investing in the renovation of the school network and stressed that local governments must finance, in addition to school education, also multifaceted education after the school day.
They spoke during the negotiations Tonis Lukas Homeland, Kadri Tali Estonia 200, Vadim Belobrovtsev Estonian Central Party, Mart Helme of the Conservative People’s Party of Estonia, Yevgeny Ossinovsky of the Social Democratic Party e Margaret Sutrop AND Jürgen Ligi From the Estonian Reform Party faction.
Photos of the session (author: Erik Peinar / Riigikogu Chancellery)
Transcript of the session
The video recording can be viewed later YouTube by Riigikogu On the canal.
Riigikogu press service
Merilin Kruse
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2024-01-18 12:15:21
the-riigikogu-discussed-the-topic-of-strong-rural-schools-and-school-networks