The Significance of Focusing on Early Education as Seen on Estonian's Highly Performing Educational System

Estonia Estonian's Educational System Laanelinnu Kindergarten Standard of Education at Estonia

By Jo Anne Hubert , Parent Herald Nov 12, 06:58 am

The Baltic state is one of the highest performers in international rankings in terms of student education, and one of the reasons is their innovative kindergarten system.

Estonia's approach to education is said to have a positive effect on goal achievement.

As per OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), it is currently one of the highest performing countries when it comes to education. Their students scored higher than the OECD average when it comes to mathematics, science, and reading. As compared to the OECD average, most of their students performed at the highest levels of proficiency for Level 5 or 6 in at least one subject.

Eighty-nine percent of their students attained at least Level 2 proficiency in reading, significantly more than on average across OECD countries, which is at 77 percent. On the other hand, 90 percent of their students attained Level 2 or higher in mathematics, once again more than OECD's average of 76 percent. Lastly, 91 percent of their students attained Level 2 or higher in science, 13 percent more than OECD's average of 78 percent.

Furthermore, Estonia's education system is already the top of the class in Europe and has been labeled the "new Finland" after overtaking its neighbor. UK, on the other hand, despite showing signs of improvements in the 2018 tests still lags behind.

The PISA tests, however, are only one measure of how efficient Estonia's education system is. The Labour party has realized that this tiny Baltic state is carrying lessons other countries should learn from.

Innovative kindergarten system

Giving priority to early education has set Estonia apart.

At Laanelinnu kindergarten, one of eight in the MLA Viimsi family of nurseries, parents are already dropping off their kids at 7 a.m. before they head off to work.

School activities officially start at 9 a.m., yet they open two hours earlier and closes at 7 p.m. to offer parents maximum flexibility and take away additional stress from the demands of their work.

But this kindergarten, built in 2012, is not an ordinary childcare or daycare center.

"Though it's not called school, it's the first step in their education. We do teach kids here. It is not just childcare," says the kindergarten's project manager Pille Veisserik.

Children who attend Laanelinnu are as young as two and stay until they are seven, the age when it becomes compulsory to attend school.

Spacious and well-equipped classrooms become home for a maximum of 20 kids, who are taken care of and supervised by one qualified early years teacher and two assistant teachers.

Early years teachers in Estonia need to have at least a first degree, while school teachers generally are masters graduates, making this country's education workforce much more highly qualified than in England. Assistant teachers, on the other hand, are provided skills training and development to become better at what they do.

Further, the kindergarten has no Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) equivalent, no school inspectors and teachers are trusted and given the freedom over the education they deliver.

The school has a specialist music teacher, a PE teacher, and in-house psychologists and speech therapists always ready to help struggling children, which is significant to note as there are a lot of children in both England and America that wait months to get expert support, especially those from public schools.

The kindergarten's curriculum provides everything from letters and language skills, to art, music and even robotics. By the time they reach seven and leave the place, most of the students already know how to read and write, without the pressure and the stress of an academe but in a "relaxed, play-led environment." Moreover, they are given a "school readiness card" that the children take with them to the next stage and school in their education.

Going beyond the education system

Aside from having one of the best education systems in the world, parents in this little but impressive Baltic country, with a population of 1.3 million, also relish some of the best state support in the world, The Guardian reported.

New mothers are given 140 days of fully paid leave. After that 140 days, they can opt to continue having a fully paid leave for another 435 or share those days with a family member.

Further, while parents in England and America are forced to stop working because of "crippling childcare costs and patchy provision," Estonia guarantees their kids a safe place in their kindergartens at minimal cost to the parents.

At Laanelinnu kindergarten, families pay just €58 or £50 a month, and a minimal additional cost for a child to have three hot meals a day, while in England, unfortunately, full-time nursery for children who are two years old and below can cost "two-thirds of a parent's weekly take-home pay" or even more.

The basic school in Estonia, teaching children from seven to 15 years old, offers "hobby school" to students who stay at school until 5 p.m. This is just one of the more than 20 school "hobby groups" that are offered nearly free of charge to all students. It not only helps parents but most importantly, supports student's learning and development.

Early morning porridge and lunch are also free in the basic school.

Moreover, Estonia is passionate in teaching their students about robotics and digital learning. The government has made these their priority. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Estonian schools were one of those who "switched seamlessly to home education" because both children and parents were already used to online education. The teachers at their basic school actually have their own "digital mentors" to ensure they are updated with the latest innovations.

Kerttu Mölder-Jevdokimov, the head of the elementary school, stated that though they are a small country, they will ensure that they can create an impact in the IT world because the truth is, the society needs more people capable of using these things.