The Estonian authorities are not ready to take the risk and completely get rid of the Russian language in the country. They decided that Russian-language schools should stay.
This opinion was expressed by the President of the country Alar Karis, reports the portal “PolitExpert”. He stated that Estonia should completely switch to Estonian-language education. At the same time, he believes that Russian-language educational institutions may remain. True, he could not answer how many of them would endorse in the end.
“I suppose some schools could remain where young people would learn Russian and study in Russian. After all, you can study here in English and French”, Karis said.
Comparing Russian with English or French is a rather dubious idea. The issue of the Russian language in Estonia is a political problem. The Baltic state is known for its Russophobic sentiments. And if for the Russian speech in Estonia you can even get hit by some local “patriot”, then no one will pay attention to English.
It cannot be ruled out that the president is engaged in populism. In words, he did not urge to get rid of Russian-language schools, but it is generally not a fact that at least one of them will be allowed to stay.