Complete national overview - Estonia

Legal System

The fundamental principles of provision of education in the Estonian Republic are established in the Constitution of the Republic, the Child Protection Act and the Education Act.

According to the Constitution of the Republic of Estonia, everyone has the right to education. The main purpose of education is to establish favourable conditions for the development of personality, family, the Estonian and minority nations, also the development of economic, political and cultural life in Estonia and protection of the environment in the context of the world economy and world culture. It is equally important to educate people to respect and follow the law and create possibilities for continuous learning for everybody.

In order to make education accessible, the state and local governments must maintain the requisite number of educational institutions.

Education for children with special needs is guaranteed by several juridical acts. The Constitution refers to the right to education and the accessibility of education. The Education Act and the Basic Schools and Upper Secondary Schools Act state that every child has an equal right to study at a local school, or, if suitable conditions are not found and the parents agree, to study at a special school. Parents have the final decision in making educational choices for their children.

In 1989, the UN congress on education and integration of people with special needs into the education system and society took place in Tallinn. The UN Tallinn Paper compiles recommendations on democratisation of the education system, removal of labelling terminology and inclusion of students with special needs. 

By the regulation of the Government of the Republic, conditions have been established enabling students with special needs to study at vocational school. In 1995, the Disability Policy of the Republic of Estonia was adopted based on UN Standard Rules.  

General Objectives

General objectives for the education of students with special needs are not different from the general objectives of the according education and do not depend on whether it is conducted within mainstream education or in special groups (schools, classes).

According to the disability policy of the Estonian Republic, the right of people with special needs, to pre-primary, basic, secondary and higher education must be guaranteed according to the principle of equal opportunity. People with special needs have the right to inclusive education, and this right must be guaranteed by the state. Instruction in a mainstream school presumes the existence of translation and other support services and equipment. These services must meet the needs of people with all types of impairments. Since the citizens of Estonia are obligated to attend school, education must be guaranteed to all, also including children with the most severe impairments. Extra attention must be paid to pre-primary education and the preparation of school for children with special needs, as well as to in-service training and the re-training of adults with special needs.

When teaching children with special needs, the state is obliged to:

- have a clear education policy that is understood and accepted by the schools and society;

- permit amendments, supplements and adaptations of the curricula, depending on the special needs of a pupil;

- ensure the quality of study materials, in-service teacher training, and the existence of support teachers.

In evaluating students with special needs, a differentiated evaluation is applied that makes it possible to evaluate knowledge and skills according to the individual characteristics of a student. Students with special needs study in smaller classes, they have the right to the adaptation of  the physical environment according to their needs.

Financing

In 2006, general education received 5471 million crones (2, 64 % NGP) and vocational education 1172 million crones (0, 57 % NGP) from the budget of the public sector. The financing of educational institutions depends on the ownership of the institution. There are state, municipal and private education institutions.

All the expenses of state schools are covered by the state budget. Most special schools are state-owned.

Municipal education institutions (pre-school childcare institutions and schools) are financed by the state and from local budgets. In addition, revenue from foundations, donations and income received from paid services etc. may be considered both in the case of state and of municipal schools.

The expenses of the private education institutions are covered by the manager and in some cases, by the state. Expenses related to pre-school childcare institution teachers' in-service training are covered by the state budget as well as school teachers' salaries and expenses related to the acquisition of textbooks in both education institutions.

Pre-school childcare institutions are mostly municipally owned and they are financed by the local budget, although parents have to pay a participation fee. Expenses related to pre-school childcare institution teachers' in-service training are covered by the state budget.  90% of the schools are municipally owned, 5% are state schools and 5% private schools. Teachers' salaries and the expenses related to the acquisition of textbooks are covered by the state budget in all schools. The manager of the school covers the operating expenses (management expenses, staff expenditure - except teachers’ salaries and the cost of teaching aids, except the cost of textbooks).

Expenses related to boarding-school facilities available at schools are also covered by the state budget. Classes for pupils who have behavioural problems, for children with health disorders and pupils with special needs, preparatory groups for pre-primary children, prolonged day groups and remedial groups are formed in the school with the consent of the rural municipality or city government, and additional financial resources are allocated according to the special needs of the pupils.

Identification of Special Educational Needs

Pupils with special educational needs are pupils whose special talent, learning difficulty, behaviour, health problem or disability etc. create a need to make changes or adaptations in the contents or arrangements of their studies or in their learning environment.

Special needs include general or special talent, learning difficulties, hearing impairment, physical disability, speech, reading and writing difficulties, visual impairment, neurological disorders, behaviour problems, addiction problems.

Children with special needs are recommended a suitable nursery school or group or curriculum suitable for their abilities following a decision make by the counselling committee. A child with special needs is admitted to an integration group or a group for children with special needs on the basis of a written application from a parent (caregiver) and a decision made by the counselling committee.

A counselling committee shall include a special education teacher, a speech therapist, a psychologist, a social worker and a representative of the county or city government accordingly.

A counselling committee is able to:

- assign to a student with special needs a curriculum or a form of study suitable for the needs of the child;

- refer a student with special needs to a sanatorium school, a school or class for students with special needs with the consent of a parent (caregiver);

- decide postponing the obligation to attend school at the request of a parent.

If a student in years 1 and 2 of basic school cannot fulfil the requirements of the curriculum, the school shall direct him or her with the consent of a parent to speech therapist, educational psychologist or to a psychiatrist, if necessary, where the problem shall be identified. If the problem is connected to disability, measures shall be taken to guarantee the student educational opportunities suitable for his or her needs.

When attending a sanatorium school or a school for students with special needs is no longer necessary, the student has the right to continue his/her studies in his/her former school.

Special Needs Education within the Education System

Separate Special Provision

A pre-school institution for children with special needs is generally a mainstream nursery school, and in certain cases a special pre- primary institution (there are only 3 of these).

Depending on the needs of the student requiring special education, special support or special treatment, a student may study at a school for students with special needs. Schools for students with special needs are intended for students with physical disabilities, speech impairments, sensory or learning disabilities, or intellectual disabilities and for students who need special treatment due to behavioural problems. Sanatorium schools are intended for students with health disorders where students can study according to their health situation and receive the necessary treatment. The obligation to attend school may also be fulfilled by studying at home.
In Estonia, networks of special schools exist that cover the needs of students with special needs. In most cases also boarding school facilities are available at schools. There are 46 schools for students with special needs: 3 for students with hearing impairment; 1 for students with physical disabilities; 1 for students with visual impairment; 4 for students with behavioural problems; 3 for students with health disorders and others are for students with learning disabilities.

Special Needs Education at mainstream school

According to legislation, students with special needs may study at mainstream school, in special classes of a mainstream school and receive different kinds of support:

- support of special education teacher, speech therapist;

- remedial learning;
- suitable curriculum;

- individual education plan;

- smaller classes;

- additional learning and rehabilitation subjects (music therapy etc.)

- communication support (sign-language interpreter, study material in Braille, adapted study material etc.).

In a state or municipal school the following classes shall be established, if necessary:

- classes for children with physical and sensory disabilities, speech impairments, sensory disabilities and mental disorders;

- opportunity classes for teaching children with learning difficulties;
- supplementary learning classes for teaching children with slight learning disabilities;

- coping classes for teaching children with moderate learning disabilities;
- nursing classes for teaching children with severe and profound learning disabilities.

Special needs classes are smaller than classes in mainstream schools. The limit in special needs classes is:

- 12 students in a class for children with speech impairments, sensory and physical disabilities, and behaviour disorders;

- 16 students in a class for children with mental disorders, in a opportunity class and a supplementary learning class;

- 7 students in a class for children with severe and profound learning disabilities.

Curriculum and subjects

Schooling and education in special groups or classes is based on framework study programmes in the education level concerned.

According to the Pre-School Child Care Institutions Act, the schooling and education in pre-school childcare institutions should be based upon the study programmes of childcare institutions, which comply with the general study programmes for pre-primary education. Each child has the right to teacher assistance in order to reach the goals determined by the curricula.

In basic schools and upper secondary schools, the national curriculum is valid also for students with special needs as framework curriculum (as a framework to refer to in terms of learning objectives and contents?). In addition, the simplified national curriculum and the national curriculum for students with moderate and severe disabilities have been adopted by the regulation of the Ministery of Education and Research. An individual curriculum may be compiled for students with special needs according to their abilities.

Teacher Training

Teachers are trained at higher education level; in some exceptional cases, vocational teachers are prepared at vocational upper secondary level as study programmes at higher education level are not available.

Teacher training includes three components:

- general education studies;

- study related to specific subject(s);

- professional study (education science, psychology, didactics and practical training)

A teacher-training curriculum consists of at least 40 credit points of professional study (educational science, psychology, didactics), including at least 10 academic weeks of pedagogical practice.  The teacher-training study programme of university teachers comprises of the mentioned professional studies (also including studies of adult education) to the extent of at least 4 credit points.

Students graduating in the 2003/2004 academic years are subject to ´on-the-job' qualifying phase. ´On-the-job' qualifying phase helps a novice teacher adapt to a school as an organisation as well as supports his or her professional progress and the development of his or her professional skills, and provides help in solving problems arising from the lack of experience.

Curriculum, Special Skills, Specialisation

Teachers on all levels are expected to achieve the following competencies:

- subject or professional and didactical competency;

- skills to create a secure environment of study and to develop the curriculum, to help create mutually supporting work relations between teachers and pupils;

- skills to see links between subjects and to realise the opportunities of cross-subject integration, to co-operate with other teachers;

- skills to manage study and education, also in heterogeneous groups, and to advise the pupils and their parents;

- knowledge on problems related to a multicultural learning environment, and ways to solve the problems;

- skills to use suitable methods of study and evaluation for learners with different needs and on different levels;


- an ability to detect disabilities in development, social disabilities and mistreatment, and react accordingly;

- an ability to create an ergonomic learning environment suitable for human capacities and activities;

- skills to communicate and express oneself, knowledge of Estonian and of foreign languages, and skills to use the opportunities provided by modern information and communication technologies;

- readiness to encourage and guide learners to participate in forming co-operative decisions and to represent him/herself, the institution and the pupils;

- readiness for teamwork and further professional development.

A special education teacher shall:

- recognise physical disabilities, mental disorders, disorders of cognitive development and emotional and behavioural problems as well as mistreatment of a person;

- apply methods and principles suitable in a case of physical disabilities, mental disorders, disorders of cognitive development, learning difficulties, behavioural problems and mistreatment of a person;

- initiate rehabilitation of persons with physical disabilities, mental disorders, disorders of cognitive development and emotional and behavioural problems as well as those suffering mistreatment;

- teach according to the simplified national curriculum for basic schools and the national curriculum for students with moderate and severe learning disabilities;

- advise teachers, social workers, parents or persons who substitute them and other persons who are in contact with the student in problems related to developmental and special need problems;

- be a trustworthy contact person for students in relation to the adult world.

In-service training

The framework of teacher-training requires that teachers’ participate in professional training for a minimum of 160 hours during every five-year period; for vocational teachers – a minimum of two months of professional training during every three-year period. The precondition for obtaining the occupational grade of senior teacher and teacher-methodologist requires also the participation in 160 hours of in-service training within the last five-year period.

Development of Integration/Inclusion

There is a clear movement from the disability-centred approach towards pedagogical specifications in legislation, the identification of special educational needs and the assessment of students with special educational needs.

The labelling terminology has been removed from the legislation. Medical diagnoses in the legislation on education are replaced with pedagogical ones in order to proceed from the abilities of a child and from adapting the study environment to the needs of every single child. In appointing a corrective study, medical diagnoses are replaced with pedagogical ones and in assessing the results of final examinations of basic school, the requirement for a result of a minimum 35% (out of 100%) as the pre-condition for passing an examination was established in the case of a child with special needs.

Evaluation is more flexible. When organising examinations, the special needs of a learner are taken into account. In evaluating students with special needs, a differentiated evaluation is applied that makes it possible to evaluate knowledge and skills according to the individual characteristics of a student. Students with special needs study in smaller classes, they have the right to adapt the physical environment according to their needs.

In conducting final examinations for graduation from basic school, the special needs of students and the aims set up in the curriculum are taken into account. Pupils who have studied according to the simplified curriculum do not perform state examinations (only school examinations). In a case where the pupil has studied according to the curriculum for students with moderate and severe learning difficulties, final examinations are not conducted.

Quality Indicators for SNE

According to a draft law now under discussion in the Estonian Parliament, pre-school childcare institutions, general education schools and vocational schools are obliged to conduct internal evaluation. The draft states that an educational institution must prepare a complete internal evaluation report on the institution’s activities at least once every three study years. Internal evaluation would mean analysing schooling and education and management, taking into account the aims of the educational institution and also analysing the efficiency of the institution in making decisions for future development. The internal evaluation report shall be based on criteria which define the fields to be evaluated. The criteria as well as data on the institution’s activities include quality indicators on special needs education.