Cash offered for Estonian language classes

TALLINN - The Education and ScienceMinistry could offer financial rewards to Russian-languagehigh schools that decide to speed up the switch to partialteaching in the Estonian language, the Eesti Paevaleht newspaperreported July 26.

The ministry is planning financial support for schoolswhich in addition to one weekly Estonian literature class inEstonian teach at least one more subject in Estonian, deputysecretary general Katri Raik told the paper. "The sum thatwould motivate a school shouldn't be below 70,000 kroons(4,500 euros) and it would be paid per additionalsubject," she said.

The transition to Estonian is due to start this September when Grade 10 students at Russian high schoolswill have Estonian literature classes in Estonian. FromSeptember 2008 social studies will become the second obligatory Estonian-language subject.

Estonian-language geography, music and Estonian historyclasses will follow, and in addition each school must choosetwo more subjects taught in Estonian by 2011.

Raik said the ministry is also devising a monitoring system to get feedback about Estonian-language instruction fromthe start of the schoolyear to advise and assist schoolsaccordingly.