Education Estonia

Wishing you a peaceful holiday season and a happy, inspiring year of learning ahead!

What happens when a teacher asks you to think like an AI model?

Education Estonia had the pleasure of bringing together dedicated educators from Estonia and Taiwan — to show what’s already happening in their classrooms today.

Taiwanese presenters introduced practical and creative uses of AI in subjects like health education, home economics etc. Estonian examples focused on helping students understand AI’s capabilities and limits — learning with AI while also developing a deeper understanding of how it works. The quote above came from a session on how to talk about AI with younger learners.

The event was co-organised with the Estonian Education and Youth Board and The Ministry of Education of the Republic of China (Taiwan) — and we’re already preparing for the next exchange in 2026.

Our latest Education Estonia newsletter is out!
🔹 Insights from the intl teacher survey comparing Estonia with other countries
🔹 How teachers and students are using AI in learning
🔹 New study-visa options opening doors for learners from Latin America
➡️ https://estoniaedu.webcopy.smai.ly/post?mid=EunMdP5rb&oid=8423&sig=90df846b626d73074e3ea256657f8c89946f3690f39e2fb076aacd408b9dc893

Sometimes, all it takes is someone who picks up the phone and asks: “Hey, how are you doing?” This October, we welcomed a delegation from Moldova. Our guests gained a comprehensive view of how Estonia supports young people — especially those facing challenges in education, employment or life transitions.
One of the many inspiring examples was the Estonian Youth Guarantee Support System, presented by Gethe Laus from the Estonian Social Insurance Board. This is Estonia’s coordinated, municipality-based approach to supporting young people aged 16-29 return to education or enter the labour market. Instead of waiting for young people to seek help, the system proactively reaches out, assesses individual needs, and brings together partners—municipalities, schools, youth workers, and social services—to form a shared support network.
But this was just one part of a much broader picture. Over three days, our guests also visited:
🔹 Ministry of Education and Research – to discuss inclusive education policies 🔹 Estonian Qualifications Authority – on future skills and vocational pathways 🔹 Voco-Tartu Vocational Training Center – supporting young people facing challenges in vocational education 🔹 Education and Youth Board – focusing on NEET youth integration 🔹 Astangu Vocational Rehabilitation Centre – supporting people with disabilities through vocational training 🔹 Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund – career services for NEET and SEN youth

Thank you to all our speakers and hosts. For the vital work you do every day for young people and by your willingness to share that expertise so openly with our Moldovan colleagues.

We have exciting news! 📣📣📣
Together with colleagues from Estonia’s education community, we’ve created something new: an online course 'Understanding Estonia’s Education System'.
This course gives a clear, structured overview of Estonia’s general education system – from policy to classroom practice.
🔹 30 short expert-led videos (1.5 hours total)
🔹 Topics: teacher education, curriculum, PISA, digital learning etc
🔹 Available on Udemy with lifetime access – including all future updates.
👉 Explore the course here ⬇
https://www.educationestonia.org/estonia-education-system-course/
We hope it will be a practical tool for anyone interested in how different systems work.

Via Euronews English: Preparing educators to navigate AI thoughtfully may be one of the most urgent tasks in education policy today.
Estonia will train thousands of teachers to integrate AI into learning, starting this autumn. President Alar Karis noted: “The whole school system is probably going to be upside down in the coming years… but we start from teachers, because education is of utmost importance.”
For smaller nations, ensuring AI works in their own language is a matter of cultural survival. For all nations, developing critical thinking remains non-negotiable. ⬇️

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Estonian President Alar Karis has a plan to bring AI to schools “The whole school system is probably going to be upside down in the coming years,” Karis tells Euronews Next.

Our recommendation to education enthusiasts visiting Estonia: always visit different places! Every school has its own character – from brand-new state gymnasiums to small manor schools, kindergartens with strong digital focus, VET centres, and science education flagships like Rakett69 Science Studio.
This principle guided our recent exchange when Estonia and Latvia hosted education delegations from Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine to share experiences in school network development, educational accessibility, and inclusion.
The visitors gained in-depth insights into two Estonian municipalities – Saue and Haapsalu – learning how local governments organise their education systems and visiting various educational institutions to experience Estonia's educational landscape.

This September, tens of thousands of students in Estonia will begin learning with the help of artificial intelligence, writes The Guardian. Through the new national programme AI Leap, 58,000 students and 5,000 teachers will gain access to advanced AI tools and training – making Estonia a real-world testbed for AI in education.

This reflects Estonia’s long-standing commitment to integrating digital innovation in schools. In Estonia, we believe this is not optional.

“It’s a matter of urgency,” says Minister of Education and Research Kristina Kallas. “We are facing this evolutionary, developmental challenge now. We either evolve into faster-thinking and higher-level-thinking creatures, or the technology will take over our consciousness.” ⬇️

Estonia eschews phone bans in schools and takes leap into AI Country at top of education charts aims to equip students and teachers with ‘world-class artificial intelligence skills’

We were pleased to introduce Estonia’s early childhood education to guests from Japan. Together with our partners, we organised a visit that offered a broad view of our approach – combining child-centred learning, research-based methods and strong teacher support:
🔹 At Kohila Lasteaed Sipsik, visitors saw how autonomy and evidence-based practice shape everyday learning.
🔹 The ProgeTiiger programme highlighted how technology education starts already in kindergarten.
🔹 EdTech solutions ELIIS and Alpa Kids showed how innovative education companies support both children and teachers.

Thank you to all who helped showcase Estonia’s strengths in early education.

, ALPA Kids

For generations, education has played a defining role in Estonian society. When the Republic of Estonia was founded in 1918, educators played a key role in building the new state — and they did so again in 1991, when Estonia regained its independence from Soviet occupation.
As Minister of Education and Research Kristina Kallas says in her TES Magazine interview: “Education is the core basis of national identity.”
And at the heart of it all:
“Teachers are the absolute epicentre of the whole education system — it’s the gold reserve that you have.”
In this in-depth conversation, Minister Kallas highlights what are widely seen as the foundations of Estonia’s educational success including:
🔹 Equitable access and the role of schools as social elevators
🔹 Teacher autonomy and professional trust
🔹 Early education that supports self-management and social skills
🔹 Embracing technology as a natural part of learning

How Estonia became education’s newest rising star Estonia is one of Pisa’s biggest success stories, but what’s behind the country’s impressive results? Henry Hepburn finds out in an exclusive interview with education minister Kristina Kallas

We had the honour of sharing insights into Estonian education at Sweden’s largest education conference, Skolriksdag. The conference was part of a broader visit where we travelled with Estonian school leaders and EdTechs to learn, share, and connect.
Kai Koort from Education Estonia and Henrik Salum, head of Gustav Adolf Grammar School, gave a joint presentation, offering a glimpse into what everyday life looks like in Estonian schools – and how teachers and school leaders make use of their autonomy in practice. Estonia had a special role at this year’s event, with our Minister of Education and Research, Kristina Kallas, delivering the keynote speech.
As part of the visit, we also explored two different Stockholm schools and met with colleagues at the Skolverket.
But just as valuable as the official programme were the conversations that happened in between – with Swedish peers and among the Estonian group itself. If there’s one topic Estonians will always have strong opinions about, it’s education. Many in our delegation returned with fresh ideas, new contacts – and, in quite a few cases, next steps already in motion.
Thank you to everyone – both in Estonia and Sweden, including our kind hosts at SALAR International, and the Estonian Embassy in Stockholm, who created a wonderful opportunity for Estonian and Swedish education professionals to connect.