Estonia expressing solidarity with Ukraine by moving away from Russian-language education: report

13 February 2023

It’s no coincidence that many English-speaking reporters have been calling Ukraine’s largest city 'Kyiv' rather than 'Kiev' in 2022 and 2023. 'Kyiv' is closer to the pronunciation in the Ukrainian language, while "Kyiv" is closer to the pronunciation in Russian. And when English speakers refer to "Kyiv" instead of "Kiev," it is viewed as a sign of respect for Ukrainian culture at a time when Ukraine is fighting a military invasion by Russian forces.

Meanwhile, in Estonia, expressions of solidarity with Ukraine are emerging in schools that are now opt for education in Estonian rather than Russian.

Journalist Jorik Simonides, in an article published by the Daily Beast on February 13, explains, "Baltic countries have been important supporters of Ukraine since the beginning of the war. In Estonia, nearly three-quarters of the total population supported financial and armed support to Ukraine, despite the fact that a quarter of the country’s population is ethnically Russian. Now, Estonia is taking another step away from Russia — by investing in the Estonian language through education."

Simonides points to Narva, Estonia’s third largest city, as a place where "the primary language" in schools will be Estonian, not Russian.

Narva Mayor Katri Raik told the Beast, "At the beginning of the war, a situation developed where Estonians and Russian-speaking residents had quite different understandings of the situation in the world unified Russian and Estonian students." And Irene Käosaar, the future principal of a new high school in Narva, told the Beast that the school "must protect the Estonian language and Estonian culture in this border city."

Simonides notes that in 2024, "all Russian-speaking kindergartens in Estonia' will be "expected to switch over to the Estonian language." In addition, a legislative proposal in Estonia would "require, among others, taxi drivers and food couriers to be proficient in Estonian."

Read The Daily Beast’s full report at this link (subscription required).

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