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In Estonia, one in three grade 7-12 mathematics teachers is 60 or older. In the next decade, nearly 600 new mathematics teachers will be required to replace retiring teachers. Although two-thirds of those who have studied to become mathematics teachers stay in the profession, the number of new generation teachers is only about half of what is required. The need for new mathematics teachers is the greatest in Lääne County and Rapla County, according to the Foresight Centre’s short report ‘The need for the next generation of mathematics teachers and their alternative job opportunities’.

The Foresight Centre has stated in its new short report that there are 2300 people in Estonia today who have completed teacher training but do not work as teachers, which is 14% of the current total number of teachers. The reserve of teachers is largest in Harju County, Tartu County and Ida-Viru County.

The solutions to the problems of the quality of teaching and of finding the next generation of teachers for schools in Tallinn and Tartu depend primarily on lightening the workload of teachers and on how competitive the profession of teaching is in the labour markets of the biggest towns says a short report by the Foresight Centre on the future for the next generation of teachers in schools in Tallinn and Tartu out to 2040.

There are several variables that affect the future need for teachers in schools in Estonia, from the number of pupils to the use of education technology. To understand the effect that the various factors have, the Foresight Centre has created a calculator for estimating the need for teachers, which can be found on its website.

A report from the Foresight Centre on the effectiveness of Estonian schools and the factors that shape it shows that the main influence on how effective schools are comes from the socio-economic background of the families of the children in the school and the size of the school.

Every year, 1,500 teachers leave Estonian schools either temporarily or permanently, and their resignation constitutes a much more pressing problem than the lack of new teachers coming in. The resignation of one full-time experienced teacher means at least EUR 10,000 in extra costs for the school, shows the fresh brief report of the Foresight Centre “Resignation of teachers”.

The Foresight Centre in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Research is beginning to carry out a study on the effectiveness of the school network and schools in Estonia so that we could better understand the challenges involved in the transition to inclusive education and make smart choices when planning the school network in Estonia.

Teachers in Estonia prefer to work in schools with a good management culture, and salary is not the only deciding factor. According to the recently published brief report of the Foresight Centre “The Reputation of the Teaching Profession in Estonia and Its Development Prospects”, the quality of management and a healthy working culture in schools have a key role in shaping the reputation of the teaching profession.