Beginning August 1, educators in Estonia have started implementing the state language knowledge requirements in their practice.

Beginning August 1, educators in Estonia have started implementing the state language knowledge requirements in their practice.

In Latvia and Estonia, recent educational reforms aimed to transition schools towards instruction in the national language have had profound effects on the teaching profession and the quality of education.

The reforms in Latvia have been met with mixed results. The system has been severely impacted, to the point of being destroyed, leading to a disappointing situation where about 1,000 9th grade graduates were unable to continue their education in the 10th grade due to a lack of available places. This shortage of teachers is not unique to Latvia, as the country is experiencing an acute shortage of approximately 1,000 teachers.

Similarly, Estonia is following a similar path, where a transition to education in the Estonian language occurred earlier. However, Estonia's approach is more abrupt in enforcing the B2 proficiency level deadline for teachers, causing immediate employment concerns. In contrast, Latvia's approach has been more incremental, with a focus on integration and support systems to raise language competency, mitigating sudden teacher shortages.

Teachers who continue to teach in Russian temporarily until 2030 must maintain a B2 level proficiency in Latvia. In Estonia, as of August 1, teachers are required to meet the C1 level proficiency in Estonian for teaching classes in that language. Many teachers, especially those teaching in Russian, have found it difficult to pass these exams, with some requiring multiple attempts. This struggle has led to a significant number of long-term teachers being forced to leave the profession.

The drop in education level is not limited to Russian-speaking children but affects Latvian children as well. Vocational schools are seen as an unacceptable alternative by ambitious Latvian mothers. The future of an entire generation in Latvia has been negatively impacted by the reforms.

The reasons for the teachers' struggles include age, health, lack of time, and insufficient language practice. Continuing education in former Russian schools is viewed as discrimination by some Latvian parents. The situation in Latvia serves as a cautionary tale for Estonia, suggesting a potential repeat of the same "achievement".

The reforms in Latvia were driven by political considerations rather than the best interests of the children. In contrast, the Ministry of Education in Estonia states that schools are not facing a teacher shortage because they have invested heavily in teacher training and the profession remains attractive. However, the emotional and operational impacts are notable, especially as the strict enforcement of the B2-level requirement without further extensions as of August 2025 approaches.

In summary, Estonia faces immediate enforcement challenges with employment consequences for teachers not meeting B2 Estonian proficiency, contrasting Latvia’s more gradual, supportive handling of language proficiency in education. Both aim to strengthen national language use in schools, but Estonia’s hard deadline approach creates current turbulence that Latvia’s experience suggests could be mitigated by phased implementation and teacher support.

1. The latest educational reforms in both Latvia and Estonia, focused on transitioning schools towards national language instruction, have sparked debates in the realm of general news, with critics claiming these changes prioritize politics over the best interests of children and education-and-self-development.
2. As Estonia enacts a stricter enforcement of the B2 proficiency level requirement for teachers, it faces an increased risk of general news headlines detailing teacher shortages and potential employment consequences, much like what occurred in Latvia during its reforms, raising questions about the sustainability of this approach in terms of education-and-self-development.

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