"The most important factor for international students coming to Estonia was the impact on their future careers," commented Eero Loonurm on the motivation of foreign students who chose Estonia. "Inviting international students to study here is one of the most challenging parts of Estonia’s talent policy. This is mainly because the qualification obtained in Estonia must be competitive for a lifetime. Generally, people do not obtain a master’s degree multiple times abroad, and the decision to study abroad is considered carefully and thoroughly. Every embassy does incredibly valuable work in promoting Estonia and studying in Estonia. Every international student who gets the diploma in Estonia is a success story."
Minister Kristina Kallas highlighted the need to develop a talent policy to attract more talented people to Estonia. The Minister commented: "The competitiveness of Estonia’s economy depends on our ability to nurture and attract international talents who can create smart and innovative solutions. Estonia must aim to increase the proportion of international students in higher education from the current 10% to at least 15% in the future. Our education and PISA success story will only support it,” said the Minister.
The Development Plan for Education 2021–2035 has set the goal of creating a comprehensive talent policy that helps retain talent in Estonia, attract talent to Estonia, and integrate them into Estonian society. According to the development plan, this requires promoting the integration of students and pupils from foreign countries into Estonian society and facilitating the transition of graduates into the Estonian labor market. Additionally, support measures (including Estonian language instruction above the A2 level) should be enhanced to ensure that highly skilled international students and alumni remain in Estonia permanently.
The conference for heads of missions also discussed topics such as target countries for higher education and research, visa policies for coming to Estonia, the networking of research institutions and researchers, and the involvement of the initiatives "Study in Estonia" and "Research in Estonia" in the activities of diplomats.
The panel discussion "Estonian Education and Research Export: To Whom and For What Purpose?" focused on how to better promote educational and research experiences worldwide. The discussion involved Kaili Terras (Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Eero Loonurm (Estonian Education and Youth Board), Anu Noorma (Estonian Research Council), and Rainis Venta (University of Tartu).
Additional info:
Education Strategy of Estonia 2021-2035
Research in Estonia
Study in Estonia
News on ministry´s web
