cohesion - European Centre for Modern Languages

as it is not connected to their main employment; national minority Sunday schools do
not have enough resources; difficulties with the schedule; and concerns about
inadequate skills in Estonian (even though colleges and universities also offer some
courses in Russian). One of the most important aspects they highlighted of groups that
are specially put together was the opportunity they provide to share their experiences
and get to know each other better.
The potential developments in future training of minority language
teachers
The quality of the teaching depends largely on the teacher. Based on the experiences of
a number of different countries it could be said that finding teachers with the necessary
training and who are fluent in the language of teaching at the required level is not easy.
The formal education system sets precise requirements for teachers in terms of
qualifications. Today we have 25 teachers teaching their language and culture in
national minority Sunday schools who would also be able to do so in elementary and
lower secondary schools. However, survey results show that the majority of them doubt
whether they would start teaching in schools. Making plans for the future is also
complicated by the fact that it is difficult to predict which languages teachers will be
needed for and in which areas. What then could be the solution?
The current 10 credit point course could be used as a base course for those who are
prepared to teach their language and culture within the formal education system but
who lack the necessary teacher training. The state launches competitions for such
courses to be carried out only every two to three years. Short-term in-service training
courses will continue to be provided for existing teachers. The third option is the
issuing of scholarships for in-service training to be carried out in the teachers’ native
countries.
These options would be effected to complement one another, but may not produce new
teachers. It is for this reason that another option has been discussed which would see
special courses developed for university and philology students undergoing teacher
training enabling them to learn to teach national minority languages in elementary and
lower secondary schools. The criteria for studying this additional subject would be
fluency in the language in question.
Summary
The situation continues to prevail in Estonia that it is useful and necessary to support
the teaching of the native languages of language minorities. At the same time, the state
assumes responsibility for ensuring quality. The teacher has a key role in shaping a
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