In Estonia, the transition to Estonian-language education began to be discussed as early as 1993. But it actually only started in 2022. Ilmar Tomusk says that it took too long.
Many laws were not in harmony. For example, a taxi driver must know Estonian at the B1 level, but the public transport law does not require this. Also, local government meetings must be in Estonian, but members are not required to have language proficiency.
The languages in public spaces have also changed. Previously, Russian and Finnish were more common. Now there is more English, Japanese, Korean, and other languages. Tomusk says that Estonian must be visible in public spaces.
Tomusk started working at the Language Department in 1995. He was previously an Estonian language teacher. According to him, Estonian was very insignificant in Russian schools. Now it is one of the most important subjects.
In 2022, the decision was finally made that all schools must transition to Estonian. Starting from 2024, teachers must know Estonian. Before that, this was not the case.
Tomusk says that the situation is improving. For example, in Ida-Viru County, there are now more teachers who know Estonian. This is a good development.
Tomusk is not afraid of artificial intelligence. He believes it will not take work away from writers. But for Estonian, it is important that people write good texts.
Tomusk will finish his work at the Language Department at the end of 2026. He has worked there for over 30 years.