de-Russification in Estonia is gaining momentum – EADaily – Attitude towards the Russian language in Estonia. Attitude towards Russians in Estonia. What is the attitude to the Russian language in Estonia? How are Russians in Estonia?
Today, October 11, speaking in parliament, the new President of Estonia Alar Karis stated the obvious:
“Russian-language kindergartens offer free Estonian language lessons. But parents can also buy additional lessons. They are available only to those children whose mothers or fathers paid for the lessons. But not everyone has the money for this. Thus, money-based inequality arises already in kindergartens. “
According to the head of state, these are the circumstances on the competitiveness of Russian-speaking residents of Estonia in the labor market.
Formerly a member of the Estonian parliament Maria Yufereva-Skuratovski stated: “Preserving future educated and intelligent people, who are wealth for Estonia, but not a problem to be solved.”
The parliamentarian added that recently she has been observing “a catastrophic drop in the literacy rate among the Russian-speaking population.”
In turn, the Prime Minister of Estonia Kaya Callas I am sure that funding for Russian-language schools in the country will end in 2035.
According to her, schooling in Estonian allows children to integrate into the local culture and value system.
Meanwhile, in the Riigikogu (representative assembly of the Estonian people), the conservative Fatherland Party (Isamaa) presented the Tallinn Plan for the Defense of the Estonian Language, which is based on the de-Russification of education in the republic. What is reported on the website of political forces.
According to the plan to combat the Russian language, a Council for Learning and Language will be created in Estonia, which should abandon the use of the Russian language and completely move to the Estonian table. The future head of the council will receive broad powers. In particular, he will be able to fire school employees who do not speak Estonian.
“Today’s education system, which reproduces segregation, is one of the biggest pain points in Estonia,” – declared March Runnut, candidate for deputy mayor of Tallinn.
Candidate for the post of mayor of the capital Urmas Reinsalu added that the party has a clear plan on how to make Tallinn “Estonian in language and outlook.” He believes that the initiative will affect not only education, but also other spheres of society.