Estonia to make more language teaching available to refugees from new year

TALLINN - Estonia has decided to increase the size of a free program to teach the Estonian language to refugees from the present 100 hours to 300 hours from 2018.

Kaisa Uprus-Tali, adviser on social matters at the Ministry of Social Affairs, told BNS that where initially it was believed that 100 hours is enough to achieve A2 language proficiency level, it later came out that the volume of teaching has to be increased.

A call for proposals was held to find the party to provide language training to refugees in 2018. The call attracted one proposal the evaluation of which is to be completed by the end of November.

According to the Interior Ministry, the size of the call for proposals is 400,000 euros, which consists of language teaching for 150 individuals during 300 hours, developing the methodology, drawing up study materials, expenses for transport and child care services.

If 150 people take part in the program, the cost per person will be 2,666 euros and 67 cents for the 300-hour program. In the previous call for proposals the cost was 1,333 euros and 33 cents per participant for 100 hours.

The language study program is available to all beneficiaries of international protection no matter whether they arrived in Estonia as migrants or under the EU migrant distribution plan.