Policy of the Estonian Republic towards School Education in the Russian Language (1992-2007)
The article considers the policy of the Estonian government towards school education in the Russian language, the essence of reforms of 1990-2000-s and their results. Since the early 1990s policy of the Estonian Republic towards school education in the Russian language was a part of the major reform of the education system with the aim to unify the basis of the Estonian language training and eliminating the old bilingual system. The reform of the Russian-language schools was aimed at their gradual transformation into a bilingual school with the prevailing role of the Estonian language (especially in 10-12 grades). The main objective of this reform was to increase knowledge of the Estonian language among Russian-speaking students, so that they could continue their further education entirely in Estonian. Due to the shortage of teachers with the knowledge of the Estonian language, disputes in society and in political circles, and also because of international pressure from the European Union and the Russian Federation reform was delayed and, instead of the originally planned 1993-1997, was extended to 2011. Preliminary results of the reform have been mixed: on the one hand it improved students'' knowledge of the Estonian language, on the other - it worsened performance and subject knowledge on the range of disciplines. Discussion in Estonian society about the problem of education in the Russian language continues.