Belgian Minister of Education Visits Tallinn University
On March 17, the newly appointed Belgian Minister of Education, Valérie Glatigny, was on a visit to Estonia. In the afternoon, she visited the School of Educational Sciences to learn more about the success story of the Estonian education system.
"Iam very grateful that you were willing to welcome me," Glatigny opened the meeting with words of gratitude. "The Estonian education system is impressive, and you are world-class in this regard."
The Minister noted that education reforms will take place in Belgium in the coming years, and she is currently gathering inspiration for what could be improved in her home country. "As you know, Estonia has very high results in the PISA tests – what's your secret recipe?" she joked.
The Minister's delegation included advisor Pierre-Benoît Sepulchre, education journalist Thi Diêm Quach, and cameraman Cédric Rifflart. In addition, the delegation was accompanied by the education special envoy Peep Jahilo and Jaanika Lillemaa.
The meeting began with a brief overview of Tallinn University's history and achievements in the education sector, presented by the university's Vice-Rector for Research, Katrin Niglas. Niglas emphasized the importance of international cooperation in the field of education, to share best practices and further develop teacher training. At the beginning of the visit, she noted that we all face many new challenges, such as AI, which we must address together. "We can't tackle everything alone, and hopefully, we can support each other in this," explained Niglas.
Next, the director of the Institute of Education, Tiia Õun, gave an overview of the institute’s activities, the development of education studies, and research. Õun also shared interesting insights into how the Estonian education system works and its innovative approach to teacher training.
The discussion also focused on the common challenges related to teacher succession. Õun emphasized that, in order to ensure teacher succession, it is important to find ways to make studying to become a teacher more attractive. Additionally, it is crucial to support young teachers and create good career systems so that young teachers stay in schools.
The head of the Centre for Educational Innovation, Sigrid Aruväli, spoke about the ongoing educational innovations in Estonia and their impact on teachers' professional development. "In Estonia, educational innovation is constantly evolving," Aruväli emphasized. "Our goal is to always provide teachers with support in both their professional and personal development."
Tiina Anspal, a representative from the teacher education and pedagogy department, shared the specifics and strategies of Estonian teacher training.
At the end of the meeting, all parties exchanged experiences and discussed how to promote teacher education and provide better support to novice teachers. The Belgian delegation had the opportunity to learn about our education innovations and practices, which could be useful for developing their local education system.
The Belgian Minister's delegation spent one day in Estonia. In the morning, they met with Estonia’s Minister of Education, Kristina Kallas, at the Gustav Adolf Grammar School. The discussions focused on innovative learning methods applied in Estonia, teacher training, and inclusive education systems.
At the end of the meaningful day, all parties expressed hope that the cooperation would bring new ideas and developments, enriching the education sector in both countries.