HELSINKI (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st July, 2023) In Estonia, fines for schoolteachers who do not speak Estonian will increase 15-fold to nearly 10,000 Euros ($10,900) starting August 1, Ingar Dubolazov, an official with the Estonian education Ministry, said on Friday.
Until now, the maximum amount of fines that the Estonian Language board could impose on teachers and schools where language requirements are not met was 640 euros, ERR said.
"From August 1, the (Estonian) Language Board, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Research, will be authorized to impose fines of up to 9,600 euros on schools that systematically violate language requirements. This must prove effective. Because we have already seen that requirements imposed on individuals have had no effect at all. And this new fine also applies to institutions," he told Estonian broadcaster ERR.
The Estonian Language Board will also have more leverage, Dubolazov said, adding that its officials will be able to assess teachers' knowledge of Estonian not only by conducting interviews, but also by coming to classes and observing teachers' work.
"Until now, the assessments have been rather superficial. We check whether a teacher meets the language requirements and whether they have the required professional category, but we don't know how they use the language in the classroom, which is the most important parameter. We are not satisfied with the level of Estonian proficiency among Primary school and even high school graduates," Ilmar Tomusk, head of the Estonian Language Board, told ERR.
According to official data from the Estonian Language Board, there are about 2,500 school teachers in Estonia who do not have a sufficient command of the language.
The Estonian Language Board is a government agency whose main tasks are to monitor the implementation of the language requirements by public authorities and local governments, as well as in the service industry, trade and health care.
