A/HRC/32/7
reduced in the previous three years. Members of the judiciary received training on the case
law of the European Court of Human Rights. The 2015 amendments to the State Liability
Act stipulated the provision of compensation for lengthy criminal procedures. Estonia had
started to draft legal amendments to ensure compensation for delays in civil and
administrative procedures.
87.
In response to questions regarding the teaching of minority languages, the delegation
stated that State-funded schools provided education in different languages in addition to the
state official languages. Education in Russian was available in public and private schools at
all levels. According to the legislation, if there were at least 10 people of the same
nationality residing in a local municipality, they were entitled to education in their mother
tongue.
88.
While in primary education the school chose the language of instruction, in upper
secondary education at least 60 per cent of the curriculum should be completed in Estonian.
The purpose of that requirement was to facilitate enhancement of knowledge of Estonian
among all members of the population and to ensure access by members of minority groups
to higher education and the labour market, as well as effective integration in society. The
transition to 60 per cent of teaching in the education system being in Estonian had been
carried out gradually between 2007 and 2014.
89.
State exams and self-assessments by schools indicated that academic achievement
had not been diminished as a result of that change and knowledge of Estonian had
improved. Six of the fifteen highest-ranking schools were schools with education in
Russian. Additionally, half of the schools using Russian had joined the language immersion
programme, ensuring that students of those schools would have a good command of
Estonian, Russian and English. The programme had also been proven effective for the
children of migrants and refugees.
90.
Estonia also provided support to adults to learn Estonian by reimbursing the cost of
language courses for those who successfully passed language tests. The State provided free
language courses for employees in the public sector, long-term residents and newly arrived
migrants. As for the requirements for language proficiency in certain positions, the
delegation emphasized that the requirements had been put in place to ensure the provision
of public services and information in Estonian. The language requirement was also in
accordance with the particular nature of the work. For example, the required proficiency for
doctors or pharmacists was higher than for service staff.
91.
The delegation confirmed that the punitive role of the Estonian language
inspectorate had considerably decreased. The requirement to impose fines had been
eliminated for several categories in January 2015. Insufficient command of the state
language was no longer an administrative offence. Language inspectors should allow a
realistic amount of time to enhance the language skills of an employee. Inspectors had
demonstrated more flexibility and had often provided practical solutions in specific cases to
ensure that services were provided in Estonian.
92.
The new integration strategy focused on socioeconomic, educational, cultural and
political integration. Integration was seen as a two-way process, influencing the society as a
whole. The cultural advisory council of national minorities had been established in 2008
with the objective of presenting the interests of minority groups in decision-making. The
Council promoted the cultural life and activities of national minorities and participated in
implementing integration policy.
93.
In 2015, the Minister of Culture had established the National Roma Integration
Council, which involved different ministries and local governments, representatives of
Roma organizations and experts. The aim of the Council was to encourage and facilitate
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