Education and Science, Estonia

This is the first time that the right to teach is being removed from a general education school as a result of state supervision.

Krabi School is a private school that since 2017 had a fixed-term activity license for carrying out basic school teaching. In December last year, the Ministry of Education and Research carried out state supervision at the school to assess whether the school's teaching and educational activities meet the requirements set for educational institutions.

The supervision identified significant problems in teaching and education in terms of the qualifications of teachers working at the school, the length and volume of lessons, the organization of non-stationary learning and the support of students with special educational needs.

The revocation of the activity license was based not on individual shortcomings, but on their combined effect and extent, which does not allow for the provision of education to a national standard. The ministry has not received any evidence from the school that the situation can be resolved, for example, the school has not provided a description of the planned activities to follow up the cancelled studies, including a time frame for it. In this situation, the ministry considers stopping the provision general education at Krabi School to be only correct decision.

The ministry will find education opportunities for former students of Krabi School at schools meeting national standards in cooperation with the local municipalities where the children enrolled in Krabi School are registered as living. The goal is to agree on a smooth continuation of education for each student, involving specialists from the Rajaleidja program as needed, and providing financial support to the schools in which the students will go to study. The ministry also plans to hold meetings with the students' parents.

According to the ministry, the prerequisite for ensuring the quality of the Estonian education system is that every general education school meets the national standard of study and education -- the activities of a school providing basic education must be comparable across the country and enable students to continue at the same level of education at another school. Private general education schools diversify the Estonian educational landscape, but no educational institution can compromise on the quality of education regardless of its ownership. If the school fails to guarantee the right of the students to a quality education, the school is not fulfilling its role and will not be able to act as an educational institution.

Revocation of a school's activity license does not preclude the issuance of a new activity license if the activities of the school's operator comply with the requirements established by law.