The Ministry of Education and Research has launched a website dedicated to Estonians living abroad.
The “Eestlased välismaal” (Estonians abroad) website https://www.hm.ee/et/eestlasedvalismaal contains answers to questions like how to enroll children to a school in different countries, where people can study the Estonian language, how to move back to Estonia and so on.
More chances to learn Estonian
With the average age of the Estonian expat community decreasing, the number of Estonian children living abroad is on the rise. Hence, the number of places where these children can learn Estonian, is also increasing.
The Estonian language and culture are currently taught in regular and Sunday schools, societies, kindergartens, playclubs, and language courses; altogether at about 80 places.
The state supports the teaching and preservation of the Estonian language in the expat communities through its expatriates program. Funds are allocated to Estonian schools and courses in different countries, further training of the teachers in those schools, study materials and language camps for Estonian children who live abroad.
There are also bursaries for young Estonians, who have grown up abroad, but want to attend a university or a vocational school in Estonia. Teachers of Estonian assigned by the state are working in Riga, Pechory, an Estonian village of Upper Suetuk, Brussels and Luxembourg.
In the Estonian School in London, for example, children learn Estonian and have fortnightly music, art and craft lessons. The school was established in 2009 in cooperation of parents, the Estonian Embassy, Ministry of Education and Research, and the Estonian Institute. There are currently 54 children between the ages of 3-13 enrolled in the school.
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