Personal tools
You are here: Home Projects LLE Estonia/Estonie Estonia

Estonia

 
 

Overview

The official language of Estonia is Estonian. Russian is also spoken by 26% of the population as a native language. Although the number of people in the South speaking a dialect of Estonian is marginal, there have been national programmes since the 1990s to preserve and promote these dialects.

 

Legal framework

The law on language (http://www.legaltext.ee/text/en/X30086K7.htm), which came into force on 1 April 1995, has been amended a number of times, including as recently as 1 March 2007. It specifies the legal obligations in terms of linguistic competencies in Estonian and the use of Estonian and foreign languages, particularly in the workplace. Its articles cover the use of Estonian in the following domains: teaching, consumption, advertising, surnames, audiovisual and public services. There are sanctions and penalties for those who do not respect the legal provisions.

The law on language:

  • confirms the right of all Estonians to use Estonian in their public and private life and in civil society;
  • guarantees access to teaching in Estonian and foreign languages in the relevant State and municipal teaching establishments;
  • makes the Government responsible for setting legal obligations in terms of linguistic competence in Estonian for public and private sector workers as well as non-governmental organisations;
  • makes the Ministry of Education and Research responsible for evaluating linguistic competencies in Estonian and organising exams;
  • confirms Estonian as the language of administration;
  • makes it compulsory for Estonian translations to be provided to administrations of any documents written in a foreign language but allows for employees of these administrations to be addressed in the foreign language if they are happy for this to be the case;
  • allows Estonian civil servants and the employees of local collectives to use a foreign language for international communication;
  • confirms that Estonian is the only official language for use in correspondence, seals, letterheads, notes, invitations and official notices;
  • guarantees the right of the consumer to access services and information in Estonian, in line with the law on consumption;
  • obliges agencies, companies and non-governmental associations registered in Estonia to use only Estonian in their activity reports;
  • makes it compulsory for Estonian to be the only language used for the proper names of places (unless cultural or historical reasons dictate otherwise) public display boards, traffic signs, notices, official notices and advertising, except for international displays;
  • requires an adequate Estonian translation to be provided for all rebroadcasts and audiovisual works, except for language teaching programmes and broadcasts intended for a foreign audience, as well as limiting the number of untranslated foreign language programmes to 10% of broadcasts;
  • strictly regulates the use of the word Riigikogu to refer to the Estonian Parliament. This word may not be translated.

The law on consumer protection (http://www.legaltext.ee/text/en/X70046K2.htm), which came into force on 15 April 2004 and was last amended on 8 January 2006, stipulates that consumer information must be honest, comprehensible and in Estonian. Information relating to brands, product specifications and use or usage must be in Estonian. If the user manual is in a foreign language, it must be accompanied by an Estonian translation.

The law on education (http://www.legaltext.ee/text/en/X70039K2.htm), which came into force on 30 March 1992 and was last amended on 1 January 2005, stipulates, in the organisational principles of the education system, that:

  • within Estonia, the State and municipalities must ensure that all have access to education in Estonian, at all levels, in public schools and higher education establishments;
  • the Republic of Estonia must ensure that the Estonian language is taught in all public establishments and to all groups receiving an education in any language other than Estonian.

This law is completed by different texts, including notably the law on private establishments (http://www.legaltext.ee/text/en/X70034K2.htm), which came into force on 6 July 1998, the last amendment of which (1 January 2006) stipulated that if the language of teaching is not Estonian, Estonian must be taught in line with the national programmes and that the working language in the establishment’s administration must be Estonian.

 

Institutional body with the responsibility for developing, implementing and controlling linguistic legislation

The responsibility for developing, implementing and controlling linguistic legislation lies with the Ministry of Education and Research. The national qualifications and exams centre has responsibility for the state Estonian language exams which are required for, amongst other things, conferral of Estonian citizenship.

 

Legal provisions concerning the linguistic integration of migrants and public facilities for linguistic training available to them

There are no legal provisions concerning migrants. The law on language (see above) only makes mention of the linguistic competencies required for conferral of Estonian citizenship. This involves passing the State Estonian language exam and also contains some provisions aimed at establishments (primary and secondary schools) for Russian-speaking teachers and students, in line with the law on compulsory schooling and college, which came into force on 1 September 2007 and applied the provisions set out in the ‘Development Strategy for the Estonian Language 2004/2010’.

 

Principal legal provisions in force concerning the use of regional and minority languages

Articles in the law on language ensure that:

  • there is a progressive move towards teaching in Estonian in Russian-speaking primary and secondary schools;
  • it is compulsory for civil servants and municipal service employees who work internally in a minority language to have a minimum level of competence in the Estonian language;
  • it is possible to use a minority national language in public and municipal services in regions where more than half of permanent residents belong to a minority nationality;
  • it is possible to use a minority national language as the working language internally within municipalities where more than half of the permanent residents belong to a minority nationality;
  • it is possible for autonomous cultural institutions for national minorities to use the language of the minority as a working language internally, but it is compulsory for them to carry out official correspondence in Estonian and to provide an Estonian translation of non-official documents.

Financial support mechanisms aimed at encouraging the use of national and regional or minority languages

Linguistic integration programmes

The Foundation for the Integration of Non-Estonians (http://www.meis.ee) was created in 1998 by the Estonian Government with the aim of initiating, funding and coordinating projects designed to reinforce the unity of Estonian society by organising and coordinating actions aimed at integrating the Russian-speaking population and immigrants. The projects of this Foundation are funded by the State and external funding bodies, including community funds. Its two main initiatives are :

a) The ‘Integration into Estonian society 2000/2007’ programme

This programme aims to both promote social unity through mastery of the Estonian language and preserve the linguistic and cultural differences of minorities.

In order for foreign nationals to acquire Estonian citizenship, they must pass an exam in Estonian and demonstrate a good understanding of the Estonian constitution and the law on citizenship. From 1999-2005, 50% of the cost of the lessons was reimbursed by the European Union if the student passed the Estonian language exam. Since 2006, anybody who successfully passes the exam can be reimbursed for their Estonian lessons by the National Centre for Qualifications and Exams up to a value of 6,000 EEK (€384).

The national ‘Integration into Estonian society 2000/2007’ programme provides, in the field of adult education, for Estonian to be taught to groups of priority professionals: more specifically, to police offers, emergency service workers, prison employees, medical personnel, teachers working in school establishments where the language of teaching is not Estonian and the unemployed. In 2004/2005, such Estonian lessons were offered to 1,500 learners.

Between 2005/2008, the integration programme was financed by Estonia and the European Social Fund as a sub-programme for deplacement of Estonian professionals within the country.

b) The linguistic immersion programme

Linguistic immersion is another way in which the teaching of Estonian as a second language is financed and supported by the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research. It is estimated that around a third of Estonian schools where the language of teaching is not Estonian have used this method and that around 3,400 children have followed it. In immersion classes and groups, at least 50% of subjects are taught in Estonian. The objective is to develop understanding at a good level in the native language, Estonian and foreign languages.

In Estonia, it is possible to implement such a linguistic immersion programme at three different stages: in the last two years of nursery school or the first year of primary school. Late immersion may be started in the sixth year. At college, at least half the subjects are taught in the second language (not the native language). If linguistic immersion is begun in the first year of primary school, the whole curriculum is taught in the second language. After two years, the programme progresses towards the 50/50 model, where half of teaching is carried out in the native language and half in Estonian. General subjects such as mathematics and life sciences are taught in Estonian even on linguistic immersion programmes. Students on these programmes are expected to acquire the same competencies as students on the normal programme. It is an interesting step on the path towards bilingual teaching.

Late linguistic immersion starts in the sixth year, where a third of lessons are taught in Estonian. In the seventh and eighth years, the percentage of subjects taught in Estonian rises to 76%. In the ninth year, 60% of subjects are taught in Estonian. Late linguistic immersion is a kind of bilingual teaching in which one of the objectives is to ensure a good level of understanding in both the native and second language. There are currently late linguistic immersion classes available in 20 Estonian school establishments.


 Financial support mechanisms aimed at encouraging the use of regional languages

In addition to written Estonian, there are a number of Estonian dialects, particularly in the south of the country. The main dialects are võru, setu, mulgi, tartu and kihnu.

 

Over the last few years, there has been a real willingness on the part of the Estonian authorities to preserve and promote regional languages.

The document of reference for rulings on the learning of southern dialects is the national programme ‘The language and culture of Southern Estonia 2005/2009’, which refers to the four main dialects. This programme is a continuation of the programme of the same name which ran from 2000/2004 and had already allowed the use of Southern Estonian in the press, and has increased the number of classes on regional languages and cultures in the education system, funded research and financed cultural projects.

The programme touches on four main areas: contemporary culture, the press, education and research. The objective is to give Southern Estonian a clear legal position in Estonian law, which as yet it does not have. Projects are planned in the public administrations in Southern Estonia, mainly in toponymy but also in promoting the regional language and using it in notices and services (post office, shops, etc). The programme is the responsibility of the Ministry of Culture.

Contemporary culture

The programme is most interested in creative work which is targeted at children (children’s literature, animated films, songs). It also plans to implement a system of annual prizes, grants and competitions for creative work produced in Southern Estonian.

The press

The võru language newspaper Uma Leht has recently begun to be published. It has found a readership in Southern Estonia and developed an online version. A mulgi dialect newspaper Mulke Sõna is also planned and the newspaper Setomaa, which is partially in the setu dialect, will continue to receive a grant. The programme also funded a special issue of the cultural weekly newspaper Sirp in Southern Estonia. In 2005/2009, the programme added its support to Uma Leht. The intention is to create a weekly newspaper of around eight pages without losing any of the readership. Other specific projects are supported within the national press. In addition to the online version of Uma Leht, it is worth noting that online readers have the opportunity to comment on articles and participate in a võru dialect forum. There are also plans to create an Internal portal to collect and archive different publications in Southern dialects. Thus, there are hopes fthat Internet sites will be created to develop an online press in the dialects of mulgi and setu.

At the same time, the programme is working to ensure that broadcasts in Southern dialects have a regular spot on the radio and national television. For television broadcasts, the priority is to pursue the creation of a series on broadcasts in Southern dialects on various themes and to make at least one regular programme for ETV.

Education

As part of the 2000/2004 programme, school curricula and textbooks were created in Southern dialects at college level. At the same time, language teachers were trained and extra-curricular activities arranged for students.

Between 2000 and 2004, the number of schools offering local language and culture teaching in Võrumaa et Setumaa rose from 13 to 28 (around half of schools). In four establishments in Võrumaa, the võru dialect is an optional subject in the normal curriculum; in others, it takes the form of language workshops.

The programme funds the development and publication of school textbooks, which is very active in Võrumaa. An alphabet book in the mulgi dialect is planned. For 2005/2009, the objective is to publish textbooks for college students and to continue to produce methods in different formats.

The Institute of võru organises training days for local language and culture teachers. Since 2002, an optional module entitled ‘The language and culture of Southern Estonia’ has been on offer at the University of Tartu. The University of Tallinn and the Cultural Academy of Viljandi offer optional classes on the language and culture of Southern Estonia. The programme plans to continue to provide training for the teachers concerned and to pursue academic teaching in higher education establishments.  


 Financial support mechanisms aimed at encouraging the use of minority languages

 
The law which governs the culture and language of minority ethnic groups is the law on the cultural autonomy of ethnic minorities, which came into force on 28 November 1993 and was last amended on 1 August 2002 (http://www.legaltext.ee/text/en/X100038.htm). Most notably, it allows persons belonging to a national minority to use their language when making contact with the administration, within the limits defined by the law on language.

It also allows persons of German, Russian, Swedish or Jewish origin, as well as people belonging to ethnic minorities which number at least 3,000, to create establishments with a cultural aim, such as minority language schools and pre-schools, cultural institutes, publishing houses and social works. Such establishments benefit from funding not only from donations but also from grants and support from foreign organisations and State and local authority funding.

To date, only the Ingrian Finns have taken advantage of the law on cultural autonomy to deal directly with the State and receive funding for their activities.

The national programme ‘Integration into Estonian society 2000/2007’ contains a sub-programme dealing with the education and culture of ethnic minorities. The Foundation for the Integration of Non-Estonians funds the activities described in the integration programme by means of calls to tender. The Foundation also works to smooth the path of funding for the activities of minority groups and ensure that native Estonians’ concerns in this regard are dealt with. Its role is to present the culture, languages and traditions of these minorities.

 

Teaching foreign languages within the education system

Paradoxically, the document which forms the basis of regulations for the teaching of foreign languages in Estonia is the Development Strategy for the Estonian Language. The first concern of the Estonian authorities had been to set the conditions for learning Estonian. In a second phase, the Ministry for Education and Research is drawing up a specific strategy for teaching foreign languages.

At present, it is compulsory to learn two foreign languages. The first language is begun in the third year and the second in the sixth year. Students can choose from English, German, Russian and French. English is the most popular choice, followed by Russian.

The situation is different in schools where the language of teaching is Russian. In the first year, students begin learning Estonian, the national language, and then in the sixth year, they begin their first MFL.

Numbers of pupils learning the main foreign languages at secondary school 1990 – 2007
 
 
1990/1991
2002/2003
2003/2004
2004/2005
2005/2006
2006/2007
German
15.6 %
20.5 %
19.3 %
19.2 %
16.5 %
17.8 %
English
33.8 %
80.2 %
81.4 %
82.3 %
77.5 %
83.7 %
Russian
56.1 %
35.8 %
37.9 %
39.2 %
36.8 %
40.9 %
French
0.3 %
2.2 %
2.5 %
2.7 %
2.4 %
3.0 %
 
 
 


Projects planned by the authorities in the field of linguistic policy

The document which defines the projects planned for the next few years is the ‘Development Strategy for the Estonian Language 2004/2010’, of which the principal aim is to ensure that the Estonian language is the main method of communication in Estonia. To achieve this objective, there are plans to promote the image of Estonian, to ensure that all college students have a good level in the language, to move progressively towards Estonian being the only language of teaching in all schools and to guarantee that graduates of colleges where the teaching is in Russian are capable of working and going on to higher education in Estonian society.

The Estonian authorities envisage a progressive move towards a provision whereby all teaching in all schools throughout Estonia would be in Estonian. In parallel, they plan to guarantee that minorities can learn their native tongue. In 2005/2006, 4,000 teachers worked and 40,600 pupils studied in Russian-speaking schools (about 23% of all pupils).

The law on colleges, which was adopted by Parliament on 21 December 2006 and came into force on 1 September 2007, provides for a progressive evolution towards teaching in Estonian in Russian-speaking colleges. The objective of this evolution is to ensure that native Russian speakers have equal opportunities when it comes to the university and job market. Students whose native language is not Estonian will therefore be able to maintain their native language and culture alongside learning Estonian language and culture and mastering at least two foreign languages. It should be noted, however, that, for the time being, such measures do not apply to private colleges or vocational teaching establishments.

The Ministry for Education and Research has set out the five subjects which will be the first to be taught entirely in Estonian. In addition to these five subjects, each school will have to choose two more. In the first year that the reform is implemented, one discipline will be taught in Estonian. Each year, an additional discipline will be added. If the school, pupils and teachers are ready, the transition can take place more rapidly. The five subjects chosen by the Ministry are Estonian Literature, Civic Instruction, Geography, Music and Estonian History. Civic Instruction and History were chosen because they are essential to preparation for the demands of Estonian citizenship.

The Government approved this transition plan in March 2006. According to the plan, the main area for action is continuous training for teachers and headteachers of Russian-speaking schools. To guarantee the effectiveness of the evolution, a system for motivating teachers, preparing educational material, preparing society and co-ordinating and evaluating actions has been put into place.

In order to coordinate the process more effectively at national level, a Department for the Education of Ethnic Minorities was created in 2006 within the Ministry for Education and Research.

In view of the increase in numbers of immigrants of different origins, there are plans to implement an ‘adaptive teaching’ for teaching Estonian fast. Young pupils will have to attain a beginners’ level before they are allowed to study Estonian at primary school.

In view of the fact that the number of Estonian pupils choosing to study abroad is on the rise (about 500 per year), there are plans to create an Internet-based teaching system for subjects which are not taught abroad, such as Estonian, to allow them to fit back into Estonian life better on their return to Estonia.

 

 

(2009)

 

Document Actions