International students in Estonia – IN or OUT?

Estonia welcomes an increasing amount of international students from different countries each year. Last year, more than 12% (over 5,500 people) of students in Estonian higher education were from outside of Estonia – this represents a more than fivefold increase in the number of international students compared to just 10 years ago.

The rapid increase in the number of international students has not been without controversy. Based on an alleged potential threat to national security, The Estonian interior ministry has created a draft legislation that intends to curb the rights of students from outside of the European Union. This draft will be discussed in the Estonian parliament beginning in September.

Furthermore, TalTech (Tallinn University of Technology) has announced that they will not be accepting international students from non-EU countries with high corona rates for the starting academic year, citing public health concerns. This decision has created outrage from those directly affected as well as wider discussion on how welcoming Estonia should be towards international students.

Estonishing Evenings together with the Federation of Estonian Student Unions (EÜL) is taking a deeper look at this issue, the current situation, its underlying reasons and potential for development.

The evening starts with a thorough overview of the statistics and the current state of affairs, given by Eero Loonurm from Study in Estonia. The presentation is followed by an in-depth panel discussion, participated by:

– Daniele Monticelli, professor of Italian Studies and Semiotics at Tallinn University, School of Humanities
– Eleri Pilliroog, chairperson of the Federation of Estonian Student Unions
– Karl Sander Kase, communications director of Isamaa Party
– Anna Miller, Ukrainian student in Baltic Film and Media School, Tallinn University

Thoughout the event, personal stories of international students will be presented, explaining why they chose to study in Estonia and what benefits and drawbacks they have experienced.

Photo: A group of international students at TalTech.

Speakers

Anna Miller Student

Anna Miller is an international student. She is originally from Ukraine and moved to Estonia a year ago to pursue a degree in filmmaking. She states that the experience has been great so far and that she is looking forward to staying in Estonia and is excited about opportunities that may come. Anna emphasises that she is participating in this panel on behalf of international students like herself and also on behalf of her friends and other potential students who could not make it to Estonia due to the Covid-19 regulations for this academic year.

Daniele Monticelli Professor of Semiotics

Daniele Monticelli is a professor at Tallinn University where he teaches courses in Estonian, English and Italian and supervises Estonian as well as foreign students. His fields of research include translation studies, literary theory, semiotics and contemporary critical theory. Daniele is the author of several publications on these topics and also regularly publishes literary, cultural and political essays on Estonian cultural journals and newspapers.

Eero Loonurm Head of Department

Eero Loonurm is Head of Higher Education International Marketing at Education and Youth Authority of Estonia. His responsibilities include the development and execution of the national higher education marketing strategy for "Study in Estonia" and representing Estonia in communications-related working groups on the state and European level. He is also the marketing and communications expert in promoting Europe as a study destination for the European Commission project “Study in Europe”.

Eleri Pilliroog Chairperson of Federation of Estonian Student Unions

Eleri Pilliroog is a chairperson of the board of Federation of Estonian Student Unions – and knows a lot about the joys and sorrows of students. In addition to leading the largest student representative organisation in Estonia, she is active in Higher Education policy, acquiring a master's degree in law at the University of Tartu.

Karl Sander Kase Chairman of the Isamaa youth organisation

Karl Sander is the communications director of the political party Isamaa and chairman of the Isamaa youth organisation. He will be advocating for moderation on the issue of international students – Estonian higher education needs international students, but at the same time it is important to keep in mind other serious concerns regarding integration and state priorities.

Speakers

Gallery