MAIN DIRECTIONS OF ESTONIAN EDUCATIONAL POLICY

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to analyze the main documents on the educational policy of the Republic of Estonia and their impact on foreign language training in this country. The main Estonian legislative documents in the field of education, such as the Education Act, the Higher Education Act, and legislative documents on foreign language policy, such as: Education Strategy 2021-2035 and the Estonian Language Development Plan 2021-2035. Their functioning and impact on professional foreign language training in the country are described. It is planned to switch to Estonian as the language of instruction in all educational institutions by 2030. A language inspectorate will be involved to monitor language learning and the language of instruction. By the end of school, students will be expected to reach the level of independent user of at least two foreign languages. Professional foreign language training (ESP) is limited to certain academic fields, and the number of specialized foreign language courses is constantly growing in line with the needs of the state. The qualification framework of Estonia is described. There are two types of higher education institutions in Estonia: universities and higher vocational education institutions. Methodology. Аnalysis is used to describe the impact of russification on the state of language policy in the historical context. During the Soviet era, repressions were used against Estonian education and language, and the Russian-speaking population was resettled to Estonian lands, just as it is now in the temporarily occupied Mariupol. The comparative method of research was used, which made it possible to identify the characteristic features of the formation of the education system in this country and to draw a comparison. On the basis of theoretical generalization, conclusions are drawn about the effectiveness and progressiveness of Estonian educational policy. Results. The analysis and systematization of information in this paper is the basis for further research in the field of comparative educational policy. It can be used to find possible ways to adapt some approaches of the Ukrainian educational space. Key words: education, training, Estonia, European integration, language teaching.