Estonia 200 chair: Finmin making it seem like strike is only education minister's problem

TALLINN – Estonia 200 chairman and Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said that Finance Minister Mart Vorklaev is attempting to make it seem like the teachers' strike is only Minister of Education and Research Kristina Kallas' problem and added that the education crisis must be solved through the cooperation of all political parties.

"Estonia is in an education crisis, the reason for which is the reforms that have not been carried out for years and the empty promises of all political parties that the salary of teachers must be 120 percent of the average salary in Estonia. However, it is clear that the education workers did not stand in Toompea today only for a decent salary. The problems in our education system are wider and can be solved if the government sits down with teachers and local authorities to discuss the education agreement. This can be done best in conditions of labor peace, but unfortunately there is no consensus in the coalition to find the necessary 10 million euros," Tsahkna wrote on social media.

According to the party chairman, Kristina Kallas has done everything to prevent the strike.

"Just before the state budget was approved, she found an additional eight million euros from the ministry's budget. However, the finance minister is trying to leave the impression that the strike is only a problem for the education minister. It is not, it is a problem of the whole society and the whole government, which must be dealt with together. My position and that of Estonia 200 is that the strike and the education crisis are for all political parties to solve. All political parties have made promises -- now they must be fulfilled. This is our shared responsibility," Tsahkna said.

According to him, the understanding of the minister of finance, which is that the minister of education must cut expenses from the ministry's budget by 200 million, is not adequate -- this money would come at the expense of science and education, the funding of which has also been agreed upon across political parties.

"Continuous and stable investment in education is needed, only in this way can educators gain security for the future. Otherwise, we will keep using the same talking points after coming out with the new year's state budget," Tsahkna said.