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EESTI ELU reedel, 7. augustil 2020 — Friday, August 7, 2020
Nr. 31
Lahkuda või Jääda? (To Leave or to Stay?) – The Young Estonian’s Dilemma then the UK, Ireland, and Germany. This data shows that for most emigrants, there may be a desire for a more affluent lifestyle, while also not being too far away from home and being able to have some fa miliarity when it comes to culture. Seeing the potentially nega tive economic consequences of increased emigration and low birth rates (Estonia’s fertility rate is currently 1.607 births, while “replacement level ferti lity” is 2.1) the nation has ad dressed the situation through attempting to increase immigra tion. This is where national marketing and branding have been applied, to draw in skilled international workers and stu dents. Research by Suvi-Anette Vienola from Tallinn University of Technology has shown the materials provided by Brand Estonia to be one streamlined way for companies to promote Estonia, within their own mar keting, as a leader in tech nology. Then there’s Visit Estonia and Work in Estonia, whose consistent font usage, high quality photography, and pro motional literature have fasci nated the internet. They’ve shown a place where you can find meaningful employment, sublime nature, recreation, and the means to maximize the amount of time you have to enjoy those things. Government initiatives, such as the expen ses-paid Career Hunt, have en couraged IT specialists to work in Estonia. EU students are en ticed by the Erasmus program. For businesses, there is e-resi dency. You could even say that our events here in Canada plant the seed of interest in others moving to Estonia. Immigration may have created a “brain exchange” rather than just a “brain drain,” such that 6,819 EU citizens between the age of 25 and 35 were given the right to reside in Estonia between 2010 and 2015, according to the Institute of Baltic Studies. There is hesitation about im migration, however, especially immigration from outside of the EU. Of all three Baltic coun
tries, Estonia has the largest population of people born out side of the EU (13.1%). Yet, as the Migration Policy Institute has noted: in Eurobarometer surveys, Estonians have consis tently rated immigration to be the biggest concern for the EU. Despite this hesitation, there have been immigration success stories, including ERR camera man Mustafa Celik, who moved to Estonia and obtained citizen ship after meeting his wife, an Estonian. He took the required language exam, the Estonian constitution knowledge exam, relinquished his Turkish citizen ship, and has endeavoured to “be like a local” as he states. His move has drawn praise from Estonia’s Minister of Popu lation Affairs Riina Sol man. Urban studies theorist Richard Florida argues that diversity, tolerance, and innova tion will attract highly skilled individuals to an area and benefit its economy. Likewise, Estonians might be returning because they see the country drawing people from abroad. Some young Estonians choose to stay. With the 12th Estonian Youth Song and Dance Celebration in 2017, the pro mise “Mina Jään” (“I will stay”) rang out. This motto is “like a signature that binds us to our roots.” It’s intended for a generation for whom “the world is open, but their roots will still connect them to this land.” To be born in Estonia can be like a magnet that brings you back. Research from the Institute of Baltic Studies tells us that 40% of immigrants to Estonia are people born in Estonia. They return because they want “...to settle down in Estonia and they had missed a sense of belonging...” Looking back to that mo ment when I left Berlin, I came to the conclusion that choosing your place of residence is more than just selecting a trendy place to be. It’s about finding a place that aligns with who you are. We can see that through the choices made by young people from Estonia.
Share of Russians who think earth is flat falls to two percent
foods, down 13 percentage points in the last two years.
The city sees a need for four or five new schools
At the same time, the socio logists report, 60 percent say foreign agents are rewriting Russian history as part of a concerted effort to destroy the country, down six percent from 2018, and 54 percent say LGBTs are destroying Russian spiritual values, down nine percent over the same period.
The Education Department assesses that general education schools last renovated before 2000 have to be reconstructed.
Vincent Teetsov A few years ago, waiting to board a flight departing from Berlin, I was talking with a passenger next to me about my interest in moving there after having such a great time. I was told “go to Riga, that’s where it’s happening now.” It’s hard to truly see the predicament faced by young Estonians without being a young Estonian your self, but this was a minor indication of the kind of input that can complicate one’s decision of where they want to locate themselves in the world. Recently, Alis Tammur from Statistics Estonia reported that after five years of decreasing population, Estonia’s population has been rising for the last two years. Her analysis also indicated rising net migration for the last three years, of Estonians return ing from abroad. 16 years ago, when Estonia joined the European Union, the opportunity for people, goods, services, and capital to move more freely was gradually ad opted. Prior to the 2007–2008 financial crisis, 4% of Estonians indicated a desire to work abroad. In 2010, that increased to 9%. A Eurobarometer survey from 2013 indicated that the number of Estonians from age 25 to 44 who wanted to leave the country increased from 19% in 2006 to 28% in 2010. What happened between that survey and two years ago, such that the situation changed? What factors are considered when a young Estonian is faced with the decision to leave or stay? Primary reasons for leaving have included low income, lack of employment opportunities, or jobs not matching one’s quali fication levels (underemploy ment). A desire for a perceived better quality of life and social insurance may also play a role. A Ministry of Social Affairs survey from 2013 determined that the top EU country that Estonians emigrated to was Finland, at 49%. This was fol lowed by Sweden at 8%, and
Paul Goble, Window on Eurasia, August 2020 One of the invariable develop ments during vacation season is that stories which would not have made the cut during the rest of the year are reported and even attended to, be they Russian views about whether the earth is flat or the ranking of regions according to where the most dismemberments occur. According to a new VTsIOM
poll, six percent of Russians do not know that the earth is a sphere and two percent think that it is flat. The latter figure represents a decline from three percent with that perspective only two years ago. Other results from the same poll are also interesting: 49 per cent of Russians don’t believe the Americans landed on the moon, down from 57 percent in 2018, 66 percent say the government is hiding the dangers of genetically modified
A second story of this type concerns an effort to rank the federal subjects of the Russian Federation in terms of where dismemberments are most common. Bashkortostan leads with 18 such crimes over the
Photo: brand.estonia.ee
Tallinn planning to invest close to €300 million to modernize kindergartens ERR, August 2020 Tallinn’s education strategy over the next decade includes a €288 million project to modernize the city’s kinder gartens. The strategy also states that another four or five general education schools could be opened, costing €50€100 million. According to the strategy, it is clear from a prognosis on population that by 2030, kinder garten places will not be needed at the capacity they are cur rently. A district’s demand, the buildings’ conditions, size and location is taken into account when planning investments. An estimated €288 million is necessary to modernize around 100 kindergartens in Tallinn. In cooperation with develo pers and the city planning agency, a goal was set to create sufficient methods to find kin dergarten places and to develop new kindergartens in large-scale developing residential areas. According to the Tallinn Education Department, a need for kindergarten places will arise in Noblessner, Kopli and Veerenni in northern Tallinn, and the Mäepealse residential area in Mustamäe. New kindergartens will be designed with at least 10 groups and construction of a kindergar ten will cost approximately €4€5 million.
last three years followed by Krasnoyarsk with 16 and then Moscow with 14. The Daily Storm survey says that most of these crimes are committed by family members and that in at least some cases, the guilty remain unpunished by a system that seems uncer tain how to handle such a bes
In regions where lack of space is seen as temporary, additional spots need to be opened in schools which can be done with modular constructions. In areas where residential buildings are rapidly being developed, schools may have to be built from the ground up. The education department estimates that demand for four or five new general education schools may come up in the next ten years. Prospective locations for schools could be Kesklinn, Põhja-Tallinn and Haabersti. In Kesklinn, the department sees an opportunity to use a building at Tartu maantee 23 as a municipality school and to develop a new school near Veerenni. Parts of Noblessner and Pelgulinn in North Tallinn need new schools, and the Pikaliiva residential area in Haabersti, west of the city center, is also the location of a new school. The minimal size of a school is two parallel classes, assuming there are at least 500 students studying. The development of a school could cost up to €20 million, meaning that the poten tial investment this decade could reach €100 million. Three state high schools are planned in the city of Tallinn, with the first one in Mustamäe set to open in 2022; schools in Kolde and Endla streets are set to open in 2023. All state high schools are designed for 800–1,000 stu dents, with an additional 2,400– 3,000 places being made available though changes in the education system.
tial crime. But one thing is certain: there will be more reports about such things in the next four weeks. After that, the news may become more “nor mal.”
ESTONIAN LIFE
