The Estonian Education Personnel Union organized a meeting in front of the Riigikogu building on Toompea Hill Tuesday morning to draw attention to the low salaries and consequent shortage of teachers.
As the start of the new school year approaches, dozens of schools across Estonia are still looking for more teachers. The Estonian Educational Personnel Union (EHL) estimates that the country's school system is currently short some 1,000 properly qualified teachers, and the shortage is worsening by the year.
The Estonian Educational Personnel Union (EHL) is entering talks with the Ministry of Education and Research on Tuesday in which it is aiming to secure premiums for more experienced teachers. This would involve some €150 million in extra funding per year.
While children in kindergarten tend to have mild cases of the coronavirus, they can still carry the virus asymptomatically. Since the children are not tested, kindergarten managers fear there could be undetected outbreaks all over.
The main teachers' union in Estonia has expressed concern over a newly-formed group which has questioned the requirement for the vaccination of school staff coming into the new school year. The new organization's name, in particular, is misleading, the union says.