After the transition to Estonian-language education, Russian-speaking children will no longer have to learn the Russian alphabet along with their Estonian classmates in Russian language classes. They will be provided with the opportunity to study their native language and culture separately, the Ministry of Education and Science assured.
In 2024, the transition to Estonian-language education will begin. The head of the language policy department of the Ministry of Education and Science, Ingar Dubolazov, told Rus.ERR that issues of preserving the identity and culture of Russian-speaking children in the light of the transition to Estonian-language education were discussed at the ministry.
“Language and culture education for pupils whose native language is not Estonian will start from the 1st grade, which will definitely play an important role in shaping the identity of the pupil,” he said, explaining that for this the school should have at least at least ten students with one native language, but not Estonian.
“In the first grade, this will be done in the amount of two lessons a week. If there are less than ten students in the school who want to learn their language and culture, it will be possible to contact the society of a particular national minority. The Ministry of Education and Culture finances the teaching of the native language and culture in circles created by such societies,” explained the representative of the ministry.
Each school has its own approach
Now Russian-speaking students in Estonian schools are not exempted from Russian language lessons and lessons are not replaced by them, but teachers are trying to adapt the materials in accordance with their abilities.
“In the Kohtla-Nõmme school, all children attend Russian language lessons. The teacher uses different textbooks and chooses the material according to the abilities and skills of the children,” said Mariliis Oder, director of the Kohtla-Nõmme School. In this school, children are divided into three categories: children with experience in language immersion, children who started learning the language from the fifth grade, and students who require more support. The teacher selects additional material and adapts it for the students.
Oder noted that only because the subject of study and the mother tongue coincide, children are not exempted from lessons, and often students whose mother tongue is Russian have good oral skills, but they need support in writing and grammar.
“It is important to achieve learning outcomes. Not all Russian-speaking students of the Kohtla-Nõmme school have such skills that Russian language lessons could be replaced by another subject,” the director stated, adding that in foreign language lessons, involvement of experts is common as one of the teaching methods, that is, stronger students develop the skills of teamwork and self-expression, acting in the so-called role of process leaders.
“To sum up, it is not the mother tongue that matters, but the achievement of results, as in the case of learning Estonian by students whose mother tongue is Estonian. We usually discuss such topics at parent meetings so that parents are aware of the essence and reasons, ”the director said.
At Kohtla-Järve Gymnasium, Russian-speaking students study Russian separately from Estonian-speaking students.
“Our school curriculum is in Estonian. We are an Estonian language school. That is, all subjects, with the exception of foreign languages, are taught in Estonian. But schools in Ida-Virumaa cannot turn a blind eye to Russian-speaking people, the development of their native language and mentality, which should be supported in every possible way. If we want conscious, faithful, full-fledged young people who respect the values of the Estonian state to grow up in our state,” says Hendrik Agur, director of the Kohtla-Järve Gymnasium.
In this school, the approach to Russian language lessons is related to the main school the Russian-speaking student graduated from. Russian-speaking students who have graduated from an Estonian school can, for example, take a course in Russian literature. However, Russian-speaking graduates of Russian basic schools are taught Russian language and literature separately from Estonian-speaking students. “And necessarily native speakers, that is, Russian-speaking teachers. Students with Russian as their mother tongue should not lose their mother tongue, and they should be supported at school,” Agur stressed.
According to him, the proportion of the Russian-speaking population in Ida-Virumaa is large, more than 70%, and this situation cannot be underestimated or denied.
Russian-speaking students of the Tallinn Laagna Gymnasium also have the opportunity to study Russian separately, but not in a class with a French bias. “In a class with a French bias, a third foreign language is added in the seventh grade, and there the Russian language is taught in one group, but in fact the teacher in the lesson works with two groups divided on the basis of language proficiency,” said the director of the Laagna Gymnasium Urmas Sadam.
At the Meremäe school in Võrumaa, children are given different assignments in Russian language lessons, and some children learn from other textbooks. “They are also given additional tasks: write a story, an essay, perform grammar exercises that correspond to their skills. For example, recently one sixth grader was writing a story about his day while the others were learning letters. In addition, the class has a Russian-language Alias and other games in Russian that can be used to develop speech. As a creative work, a Russian-speaking student gave a lesson in the Russian language and then wrote about this resume. And the girls from the 8th grade are planning to spend a day of the Russian language as a creative work,” director Leelo Viidu described the Russian language lessons at the Meremäe school.
The representative of the Ministry of Education, in turn, said that if the school offers Russian as the first foreign language, then Russian-speaking students will be able to choose English, German or French.
“Teaching a second foreign language can be replaced by learning your native language and culture, and in this case, the training will definitely not take place in the same group as those who have just started learning the language. When replacing, it is important to keep in mind that in the study of a second foreign language and one’s own language and culture, the target level and results are different. Of course, Russian-speaking children will not have to learn the Russian alphabet together with Estonian-speaking children,” Dubolazov assured.
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