Working Life Barometer in the Baltic Countries 2002 (pdf) - mol.fi

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proceeding from its economic opportunities to persons whose income is
lower than the official poverty line. In recent years the amount of social
security benefits paid has been on average 300 million kroons per year. The
need for social security benefits differs greatly by regions, depending directly
on the level of unemployment and being thus the highest in the regions with
the highest unemployment (Võrumaa, Ida-Virumaa) and the lowest in
Harjumaa. Of all households receiving social security benefits households
with an unemployed member make up 55%. Over half of the households
receiving benefits have children. Thus, unemployment is the most important
poverty risk. However, it seems that the so-called subjective poverty is
generally declining in Estonia. The proportion of those persons who consider
their incomes quite insufficient is decreasing and that of the persons who
consider their incomes sufficient is increasing.
EDUCATION
The structure of the educational system in Estonia was recently modified,
especially at the secondary level, to bring it closer to the educational systems
of developed countries and harmonise it with the Bologna Declaration.
Children start school at the age of 7, and it takes nine years to complete
compulsory primary education. General secondary education is acquired at
gymnasiums in three years. As a consequence of the reform of vocational
education, since the academic year 1999/2000 it is possible to continue studies
to obtain a secondary vocational education after completing primary education
(3 years at vocational schools) or after secondary school (2 years). As to
higher education, professional higher education can be acquired at
professional higher schools in 3 to 4 years and academic higher education at
universities. The first level of academic higher education is bachelor's studies
(3 years), which is followed by master's (2 years) and doctoral studies (4
years). Until 2002 bachelor's programmes in Estonia were meant for 4 years.
Since the academic year 2002/2003 new bachelor and master programmes
were launched based an an integrated 3+2-year system.
Estonia has joined the Bologna and Sorbonne declarations, which create a
uniform educational space in Europe, the Lisbon Convention on the
acknowledgement of higher educational certificates and certificates enabling
access to higher education in the European region and adopted an act on