TALLINN - Russian schools will now be required to teach at least one subject in the Estonian language, in line with integration reforms adopted by the Estonian government. The government passed reforms on June 7 requiring Russian schools to gradually introduce Estonian language subjects, beginning with literature studies.
Russian-speaking pupils entering the 10th grade this September will be the first to face the new subject.
Although the reforms have been planned for several years, they are still expected to provoke calls of discrimination from Moscow.
However education officials said over 90 percent of teachers and principals of Russian schools thought the reforms were a necessary and positive step.
"For students, this is necessary so they will be ready to go on to university for further study and to enter the labor market," said Education Ministry spokeswoman Age Rosenberg.
By 2011, 60 percent of the curriculum in the last three years of school will be delivered in Estonian. Schools will have to introduce one new subject in Estonian each year. Literature was chosen as the foundation subject because of its ties to culture, Rosenberg said.
Pupils will learn about the greats of Estonian literature, such as A.H. Taamsaare and Jaan Kross.
Currently there are 63 secondary schools in Estonia that use Russian as the primary language of instruction.
To prepare for the switch, Russian-speaking teachers have undergone retraining. On June 9 a group of 50 teachers completed a course in Estonian language and literature at Tallinn University. More teachers will undertake the training over the summer holiday.
However, the Education Ministry was at pains to stress that the reforms did not mean an eradication of the Russian language.
"Instruction in Russian will not disappear. Instruction in Russian does not provide all pupils with such a level of Estonian which would enable them to succeed in Estonia as Estonians, as Estonian is taught only in language lessons," a press statement read.
Similar reforms introduced in Latvia in 2004 sparked widespread protests, with Russian-speaking residents labeling the changes an infringement on minority rights.
