COMPLETE NATIONAL OVERVIEW

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 favouring 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 raise people respecting and following laws 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 school of their residence, 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.

By the regulation of the Government of the Republic, conditions have established for students with special needs to study at vocational school. In 1995, the Disability Policy of the Republic of Estonia was adopted.

General Objectives
General objectives of education of students with special needs are not different from the general objectives of the according education and do not depend 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 Estonia has universal obligation 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 for school for children with special needs, as well as to in-service training and re-training of adults with special needs.

For 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 adaptation of physical environment according to their needs.

Financing

In 2004, costs for general education from the budget of public sector received 5557 million crones (4,5% NGP) and vocational education 645 million crones (0,47% NGP). 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 from the state budget. Most of special schools are state-owned.

Municipal education institutions (pre-school child care institutions and schools) are financed from 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.

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

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

Also expenses related to the boarding school facilities created at the school are covered from 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 special coefficients are applied in their financing according to the special need of the pupils.


Identification of Special Educational Needs

The differences from the customary in the abilities, background and personal characteristics of students, which are significant enough not to enable to satisfy their need for education in an easily accessible way, are regarded as special educational needs. In schooling and education, special educational support or a curriculum of a different level has to be applied or changes to the regulation of studies have to be made.
Special educational needs are:
- general or special talent;
- learning disabilities (specific and general);
- sensory disability (deafness and hearing impairment; blindness and visual impairment);
- physical disabilities;
- emotional problems and conduct disorder;
- speech impairment;
- intellectual disability and multiple disabilities;
- addiction disorder.

Children with special needs are recommended a suitable nursery school or group or curriculum suitable for their abilities by a decision of 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 written application from a parent (caregiver) and a decision of 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 competent 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 of 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 psychiatrist, if necessary, where the reasons of lag shall be identified. If the lag is connected to disability, measures shall be taken to guarantee to the student opportunities to acquire education suitable for his or her needs.

After attendance of a sanatorium school or a school for students with special needs is no longer necessary, a student has the right to continue his or her studies in his or 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 need of students to receive special education, special support, special treatment a student may study at 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 mental disorders, and for students who need special treatment due to behavioural problems. Sanatorium schools are intended for students with health disorders where students study on the basis of friendly regulation of study and receive the necessary treatment. The obligation to attend school may also be fulfilled by studying at home.
In Estonia, the network of special schools exists that covers the needs of students with special needs. In most cases also boarding school facilities have created at schools. There are 48 schools for students with special needs: 3 for students with hearing impairment; 1 for students with physical disabilities; 1 for students with visual impairment; 5 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 the legislation, students with special needs may study at mainstream school, in special classes of a mainstream school and get different kinds of support:
- support of special education teacher, speech therapist;
- remedial learning;
- suitable curriculum;
- individual curriculum;
- 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 shall be established the following classes, 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.

Classes where children with special need study are smaller than classes in mainstream schools. The upper limit of the size of a class shall be:
- 12 students in a class for children with speech impairments, sensory and physical disabilities, and behavioural 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 of the education level concerned.

According to the Pre-School Child Care Institutions Act, the schooling and education in the pre-school childcare institution should be based on the study programme of a childcare institution, which complies with the general study programme for pre-primary education. Children have the right to get assistance of teachers if acquire the content determined by the curricula.

In basic schools and upper secondary schools, the national curriculum for basic schools and upper secondary schools is valid also for students with special needs as framework curriculum. In addition, the simplified national curriculum and the national curriculum for students with moderate and severe disabilities have been adopted by the regulation of a Minister of education and research. For students with special needs also an individual curriculum may be compiled that creates study conditions for the pupils 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. 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 of 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 multicultural learning environment, and ways to solve the problems;
- skills to use suitable methods of study and evaluation for learners of different preparation, level and needs;
- an ability to detect disabilities in development, social disabilities and mistreatment, and react adequately;
- an ability to create an ergonomic learning environment that fits human capacities and activities;
- skills to communicate and to express oneself, knowledge of Estonian and of foreign languages, and skills to use the opportunities provided by modern information and communication technologies;
- readiness to guide learners to participation in forming co-operative decisions and to represent himself of herself, the institution and pupils;
- readiness for teamwork and further professional development.

A special education teacher shall:
- recognize 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 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 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 trustworthy contact person for student in relations with the world of adults.

In-service training
The framework requirements of teacher's training establish the obligation for teachers to pass a minimum 160 hours of professional training during every five-year period; for vocational teachers – a minimum two months of professional training during every three-year period. The precondition of getting occupational grade of senior teacher and teacher-methodologist is also passing 160 hour in-service training during last five-year period.

Development of Integration/Inclusion

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

Labelling terminology is 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 case of children with special needs.

Evaluation is more flexible, in organising examinations, 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 adaptation of physical environment according to their needs.

In conducting final examinations for graduation from basic school special needs of students and the aims set up in the curriculum are taken into account. In case of studying according to the simplified curriculum or the curriculum for students with moderate and severe learning difficulties, final examination are not conducted.

Quality Indicators for SNE

According to a draft legislation now under discussion in Estonian Parliament pre-school childcare institutions, general education schools and vocational schools are obliged to conduct internal evaluation. The draft provides that an educational institution shall prepare a complete internal evaluation report on institutions activities at least once in 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 for making decisions for the 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 institution’s activities include quality indicators on special needs education.

View the SNE data for Estonia [opens in new browser window]