The Ministry of Education and Research is changing its structure. A new department to be established on August 1st will focus on the transition to Estonian-language education. Ingar Dubolazov, who has been leading this process until now, is not running for the new position.
Dubolazov will no longer work as the head of the transition to Estonian-language education as of July 31st. The ministry organized a competition to find a new leader. The deadline for candidates was June 30th. It is not yet known who will get the new job. Dubolazov stated that he will not apply for this position.
Dubolazov said that the transition to Estonian-language education has started well. The current situation is better than in 2022. At that time, the parliament passed legislative amendments. However, the transition process is long and complex. It affects thousands of people.
Dubolazov has been working in the ministry since 2018. Since 2023, he has been the head of the transition to Estonian-language education. On Wednesday, the deputy mayor of Tallinn's education sector stated that 70% of students had not achieved the required level of Estonian proficiency.
On August 1st, the time given to teachers to improve their Estonian language skills will end. Only 25% passed the C1-level exam in June exams. 30% of educational staff passed the B2-level exam.