Education and Science, Estonia

"Thanks to teachers and students, Valga Basic School is an establishment with student-friendly atmosphere, where teamwork and tolerance are the key words, where people regard and cherish the surrounding environment, and where students learn to take responsibility, both in school-life and in general," said President Toomas Hendrik Ilves.

"Restlessness and the desire to investigate, to do something ourselves, and to strive for new knowledge, without being pushed and without waiting for someone to give orders – all this makes a school a good and beautiful school," the Head of State added.

President Ilves thanked teachers of Valga Basic School: "A wise teacher, wise in most general meaning of the word, helps to shape the lives and choices of their students. Students often only realise in later life the extent of the work done by a teacher, when they realise that the lessons learnt in school becomes useful in real life."

The Estonia's Most Beautiful School award was presented for the tenth time. The awarded school award is chosen each year by the Estonian Association of Teachers.