A central concern raised is that education policy is not being evaluated rigorously enough. It reports that nine out of ten reforms are not assessed for their long-term impact, which means decisions are often made without the kind of testing and measurement that are expected in other areas of public life. The report contrasts this with medicine, where safety and effectiveness must be thoroughly proven before a vaccine reaches the general public.
No research record
The report also criticizes the way research and studies are managed in Estonia. It says that while a large volume of research analysis is produced, there is no single database that clearly shows what has already been studied and recorded, what is still underway and which recommendations have yet to be put into practice. This means that useful knowledge is fragmented across ministries, universities and research firms, and the country risks repeating research work it has already done.
Too many reforms
The report also reveals that education institutions are subjected to a constant stream of reforms, strategies and projects, with each new minister or commission launching a new initiative without thinking what could be stopped or simplified. It seems that the system is trying to do everything at once and failing to do anything thing well.
Bold action is required
Like many countries, Estonian education suffers from low engagement in learning, poor student mental health and burnout in teachers and school leaders. The report recommends that institutions take bold actions to identify and cut some of the tasks that are most burdensome and least supportive of learning.
One such topic is homework, which the report presents as part of a wider debate about which education tasks could be abandoned. It notes that teachers’ overtime is often treated as a problem, while students’ homework is usually taken for granted.
The report concludes that unless the education system and schools make significant changes, institutions will be weighed down by responsibilities they simply cannot fulfil.
References
- Estonian Human Development Report 2026. Available at: https://kogu.ee/en/estonian-human-development-report/ (Accessed 31 March 2026)
- Report: Estonian schools and teachers drowned in reforms with no workload relief. Available at: https://news.err.ee/1609939181/report-estonian-schools-and-teachers-drowned-in-reforms-with-no-workload-relief (Accessed 31 March 2026)
