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A transition plan for Tallinn's municipal kindergartens and schools to Estonian-language education was approved by the Tallinn City Government. The action plan for the period covering the 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years focuses on five priority areas, including support for education institution leaders and teachers to attain the necessary proficiency in Estonian, providing training for teachers on teaching multilingual students, creating legal clarity at both the state and city levels, ensuring educational materials and language learning support for students, and offering support for the recruitment of new teachers.

The Tallinn City Government plans to allocate more than 8.8 million euros in 2024 to support the transition to Estonian-language education. The measures include teacher training, recruitment of new teachers, methodological and motivational support for teachers, assistance for children transitioning to Estonian-language education, support and counseling for both parents and teachers, and the creation of an online learning environment.

In light of the upcoming shift to Estonian-language education for fourth graders starting September 1, the City of Tallinn is supporting additional activities that schools are conducting to prepare third graders. Fifteen schools have applied for project funding, involving over 1,000 children in these activities so far.

The Deputy Mayor of Tallinn responsible for education, Aleksei Jašin, announced today that the recent decision by the Estonian Government allows teachers with a B1 level of Estonian language proficiency to continue working. This decision enables nearly 140 teachers in Tallinn schools to retain their positions, provided they achieve the required B2 level by August 1 of next year and continue their Estonian language studies.

In the 2025/2026 academic year, the City of Tallinn will open classes in five schools transitioning to Estonian-language instruction, specifically for children who speak Estonian at a native level. Admission to these Estonian-language classes will be city-wide, meaning students will not be automatically assigned to these classes. Parents will decide whether to enroll their children in these classes.