The Circuit Court found that the closure of Toila School's gymnasium section was wrong. The court stated that Estonian-speaking students were not sufficiently considered.
Toila municipality wanted to close the gymnasium section in 2024. They said that students could go to state gymnasiums. However, there are many Russian-speaking students in state gymnasiums. The court believed that the municipality should have considered this.
The court stated that Estonian-speaking students should be able to study in Estonian. In state gymnasiums, there may be problems because many students do not speak Estonian well. This could make the teaching simplified and limit the students' opportunities.
The municipality should have checked whether state gymnasiums are suitable for the students. They should have considered how language proficiency affects teaching. But the municipality did not do this.
The court also stated that the closure affects the Estonian-speaking community. Many people came to Toila because there was an Estonian-speaking gymnasium there. Now they are considering moving away.
The Administrative Court had previously stated that gymnasiums are Estonian-speaking if the language of instruction is Estonian. But the Circuit Court did not agree with this. They annulled Toila's decision to close the gymnasium section.