Estonia's 1st Lady in Ukraine: Education is a tool that can turn crisis into opportunity

TALLINN - Sirje Karis, the spouse of Estonian President Alar Karis, shared Estonia's experience at a summit on education for spouses of world leaders held in Ukraine, speaking about how innovations in education help build resilience, foster creativity, and promote peace.

"Education is our strongest tool to turn a crisis into an opportunity. Estonia is ready to share its experience and the journey of educational reforms with Ukraine," said Sirje Karis.

She spoke about the AI Leap education program launched in Estonian schools this autumn, through which 20,000 students and thousands of teachers gain access to artificial intelligence tools.

"Our goal is not just to use artificial intelligence, but to ensure that children learn from an early age to be curious, solve problems, and feel confident in the digital world," Sirje Karis emphasized.

At the same time, she stressed that technology alone is not innovation.

"If technology does not support learning, it can be useless or even harmful. What matters most is whether it helps students develop the skills needed in today's world -- critical thinking, creativity, and a readiness to learn continuously," the spouse of the Estonian head of state said. "That's why the core of every successful educational reform is investment in teachers."

Sirje Karis participated in the fifth international Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen in Kyiv, titled "Education Shapes the World," at the invitation of Ukraine's First Lady Olena Zelenska. In addition to Sirje Karis, the summit was attended by Finland's First Lady Suzanne Innes-Stubb, Austria's First Lady Doris Schmidauer, Lithuania’s First Lady Diana Nausėdienė, Germany's First Lady Elke Büdenbender, and Denmark's prime minister's spouse Bo Tengberg.

Estonia's experience in implementing educational reforms was shared by Triin Laasi-Õige, secretary general of the Ministry of Education and Research, and Indrek Lillemägi, principal of Pelgulinna State Gymnasium of Tallinn.

In addition to attending the summit, Sirje Karis visited the National Art Museum of Ukraine, where discussions focused on the importance of museums in extracurricular education and supporting mental health.

The Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen was initiated by Olena Zelenska in 2021 with the aim of creating a platform for cooperation, experience exchange, and launching new projects in the fields of humanities, healthcare, education, and culture.