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The closure of Russian schools in Estonia: education, reform, or forced assimilation?

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In 2022, the Estonian government reinforced its plans to transition the education system entirely to the Estonian language by cutting funding for schools where subjects are taught in Russian. The reform officially began in the 2024-2025 academic year, marking Estonia’s shift to an entirely Estonian-language education system. However, with a significant Russian-speaking population, many now face limited opportunities to study in their native language, raising concerns about potential human rights violations, particularly regarding minority protections. While the Estonian government argues this reform will benefit Russian-speaking minorities, critics – both local and international – warn of the risks to minority rights. Most Russians and Russian speakers in Estonia are descendants of Soviet-era migrants who settled between 1945 and 1991. As of 2024, ethnic Russians constitute 21.6% of the population, while Russian speakers – including Ukrainians and Belarusians – comprise 28% and conside

The closure of Russian schools in Estonia: education, reform, or forced assimilation? EUreka! 29.04.2025 The closure of Russian schools in Estonia: education, reform, or forced assimilation? Kristina Ryabova Credit : Beau Swierstra/Unsplash | All rights reserved In 2022, the Estonian government reinforced its plans to transition the education system entirely to the Estonian language by cutting funding for schools where subjects are taught in Russian. The reform officially began in the 2024-2025 academic year, marking Estonia’s shift to an entirely Estonian-language education system. However, w

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