PISA expert: Estonians believe in education

The reason why we interviewed an expert from Estonia, is simple, writes Alexander Kaffka in Caucasian Journal: “Because Estonian students are the best in Europe. According to recent PISA results, the Estonian 15-year olds have Europe’s highest scores in all disciplines.” Can you outline 3 main factors (or more, if you wish), which led to […]

Estonia: school camps to cover education gaps

Six million euros is being set aside for summer camps for schoolchildren, preparing them for the next academic year and ironing out deficiencies caused by long periods on remote learning. The money is budgeted as part of the recently approved supplementary budget, issued in response to the latest coronavirus wave.  As many as 50,000 or […]

Finland, Denmark and Estonia top the Media Literacy Index 2021

Finland, Denmark, Estonia, Sweden and Ireland are at the top of the ranking of the Media Literacy Index 2021 by Open Society Institute – Sofia. These countries have the highest potential to withstand the negative impact of fake news and misinformation due to the quality of education, free media and high trust among people. As […]

New report: what did we learn during the COVID-19 lockdown?

The unprecedented shift to remote schooling gave us the opportunity to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of remote schooling, but also to reflect on how education is being provided in general. The authors of the new European Commission report “What did we learn from schooling practices during the COVID-19 lockdown?” have interviewed in total around […]

Educational innovation in Estonia — getting ready for the future

“What are the reasons behind Estonia’s education system success? What part does technology play in it?” asks Victoria Klimova in her blog post about the Winter School at Tallinn University. Last January, before the pandemic crisis shifted everything online, I attended a winter school at Tallinn University School of Educational Sciences. The program included various […]

Using space to support STEM education in school

On 3 March 2021 the ESERO Estonia was officially launched to support STEM education. The goal of the European Space Education Resource Office (ESERO) is to support STEM studies in primary and secondary schools by using space as a context. ESERO Estonia, hosted by the University of Tartu and led by the Tartu Observatory, joins European […]

Move Lab aims to increase the share of outdoor learning

This year, 38 new schools from all across Estonia joined the education programme Schools in Motion. To balance the negative impact of the corona pandemic on pupils’ mental and physical health, the programme focuses on diversifying distance learning and integrating outdoor learning in school life. The education programme started five years ago and by now, […]

Estonia’s education ambassador is Birgit Lao

Birgit Lao is appointed as the first Estonia’s diplomatic representative for education. The main objectives of the representative are promoting Estonia’s successful education solutions in the world, representing Estonia in education matters internationally, supporting the export of educational technology companies and attract investments to Estonia. “Estonia’s education is a fine example, our success stories are […]

Crisis brings focus on home-school communication

With the extensive use of distance learning in 2020, patterns of communication and cooperation between the home and school have changed, a study led by University of Tartu researchers reveals. The importance of informal communication has grown. Schoolchildren and their families need more advice and information to adapt to new routines and new learning environments.  […]

Three ways public-private partnerships are transforming education. Insights from Estonia

For a long time, it has been a common understanding in many countries that governments are solely responsible for the provision of education. However, Estonia proves that cooperation between the state and the private sector helps to study in a smarter way. From EdTech start-ups to entrepreneurs, the Estonian education system shows that private-public partnership […]