School principals say they were surprised to learn the nationwide compulsory school-age limit rose to 18 this fall — not next year, as they had long understood.
The change took effect September 1, even though principals believed it would apply beginning in fall 2026.
Urmo Uiboleht, head of the Estonian Association of School Principals (EKJÜ), said major education decisions shouldn’t come unexpectedly. “In education, there can be no surprises when decisions of this weight are made,” he said.
He added that instead of assigning blame, the sector needs to understand how the mix-up happened and “definitely improve the communication side.”
The issue surfaced after a high school principal expelled a student this fall based on the school’s code of conduct. The student contested the decision, and the Ministry of Education and Research told the school it could not expel them because compulsory schooling now extends to age 18.
The Riigikogu approved the change late last year, extending compulsory schooling — now called the learning obligation — from age 17 to 18. It was meant to apply starting this school year. But the ministry also added a clause saying the new system did not apply to students who had finished basic school or turned 17 before September 1.
Many principals assumed that meant the broader change would not take effect until next fall and say they need more time to adjust.
Their request now is for the ministry to delay enforcement so schools can make the necessary changes — including updating codes of conduct, revising assessment and expulsion rules and adjusting their operations.
Urmo Uiboleht. Source: Ken Mürk/ERR
Uiboleht noted schools also need new practices for addressing learning gaps in 10th and 11th grade — where expulsion previously came into play. “We need time, cooperation and good solutions that involve all parties,” he said.
The Ministry of Education and Research says much of the confusion stems from another amendment, made at the same time, that regulates when high school students can be expelled.
Until now, schools could add their own grounds for expulsion on top of those set out in law. Under the revised rules, those extra grounds can only apply to students who are 18 or older.
Ülle Matsin, head of general education policy at the ministry, said this change was driven by the chancellor of justice’s position that schools cannot legally impose additional conditions.
“Expulsion policies had become very hard to grasp,” she said.
Matsin added that this legal correction was necessary regardless of whether the compulsory school age had changed and could not be delayed because it addressed an unlawful situation.
She said the ministry also plans to remove the remaining exception that still allows extra expulsion conditions for students over 18 as well.
“We’re moving toward a system where schools will no longer set their own grounds for expulsion,” the ministry official said.
Ülle Matsin. Source: Sergei Stepanov/ERR
Instead, the Basic Schools and Upper Secondary Schools Act would define all criteria, similarly to how higher education operates: “You can’t be expelled from your program in any arbitrary way.”
Ministry: You were warned
While principals support the broader reforms, Uiboleht said they weren’t prepared for this year’s timeline because they had been working under a mistaken assumption. He said schools simply need more time to plan.
“These things have moved very fast, and at this pace, practices haven’t been mapped out and solutions weren’t foreseeable,” he said.
He added that schools, local governments and the ministry all need to clarify their roles, and that parents and students share part of the responsibility too.
At the ministry, Matsin agreed that cooperation is essential, and said state-run schools will bear most of the load, as their enrollment is slated to expand.
She recalled, however, that raising the compulsory school age — and related changes and recommendations for how to proceed — have long been discussed with school leaders.
Uiboleht acknowledged principals may have missed some details but said the degree of education reforms in Estonia right now is overwhelming. Major changes, he said, require more attention and clearer communication.
“The number of the things on the table and up for discussion in recent months has been unprecedented,” the EKJÜ chief said.
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