Nearly 20% of Tallinn's basic school graduates don’t know where they will study in the fall.
According to Karl Erik Kirs, chairman of the Student Councils' Union, this is a major problem. In Tallinn, there are 851 young people without a school place.
Tallinn Deputy Mayor Andrei Kante says the new academic year starts in two weeks. This is fast.
Education Minister Kristina Kallas believes the data is inaccurate. Many students are on vacation and haven’t been entered into the system. Some schools are still accepting students until the end of August.
For example, Tallinn College of Technology has 230 vacancies. Over the next two weeks, it will become clear how many students don’t have a school place.
Some students are offered preparatory education. But in Tallinn, these places are already full.
Kallas says that preparatory education is for young people who haven’t applied to other places. But this might not be a good solution.
Kirs mentions that many students don’t have a Plan B. They don’t know what will happen to them. If they get a place at a school they don’t want to attend, it’s bad.
Students need clear information. Tallinn wants to help and cooperate with the Ministry of Education. It’s important to share information quickly.
Students don’t know what to do. Should they wait for a response from the state? Should they look for information in the media? Who is responsible? These are important questions.