Estonia’s Education Summit Haridustreff: Where Ideas for the Future of Education Meet
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Photos: Kaido Parv
More than 1,000 teachers, school leaders, education specialists and innovators came together in Tartu on 18 August for Haridustreff – Estonia’s Education Summit – one of Estonia’s largest annual gatherings for the education community.
For the German-Baltic Future Foundation (DBJW), education plays an important role in creating opportunities for young people and strengthening connections across our region. Bringing education together with new ideas, technology, entrepreneurship and the professional world can broaden those opportunities – while connecting different parts of society. The Education Summit brought many of these perspectives into one place. Behind the event is Lilian Promet, founder of Meaningful Talks and a DBJW partner whose work we have already had the pleasure of introducing to our German-Baltic community.
From Baltic Insights to Estonia’s Education Summit
Earlier this year, Meaningful Talks joined DBJW as a partner, with a shared interest in education and youth development. As part of this cooperation, Lilian Promet contributed to DBJW's Digital German-Baltic Insights series with “Entrepreneurship - How to Turn ‘No’ into ‘Yes’”, a session focused on business communication. Drawing on her own experience, she explored how to respond to rejection, turn resistance into dialogue and keep developing an idea when the first answer is “no.” For younger audiences, the session also highlighted an entrepreneurial mindset built on persistence, communication, adaptability and the confidence to find another way forward.
A Full Day Dedicated to “Strong Education”
The fifth Education Summit took place under the theme “Tugev haridus” – “Strong Education”, this year moving to Tartu and the impressive Estonian National Museum (Eesti Rahva Muuseum – ERM). Founded in Tartu in 1909, ERM is a contemporary cultural history museum dedicated particularly to Estonian culture and the cultures of other Finno-Ugric peoples. Its remarkable building and its role as a learning and cultural environment made it a fitting setting for a day dedicated to education.
A highlight of the programme was international bestselling author and education expert Jessica Joelle Alexander, co-author of The Danish Way of Parenting. Her work explores Danish approaches to parenting and education, particularly empathy, belonging and resilience – qualities that reach well beyond academic knowledge.
The Summit was far from a traditional sit-and-listen conference. Keynotes and discussions were combined with exhibition areas and 14 themed learning hubs and workshops, covering subjects from children's wellbeing, financial literacy and creativity to technology, engineering, vocational education and new approaches to learning.
Schools, education organisations, public institutions and companies presented tools, ideas and innovative solutions that teachers could explore and potentially bring back into their classrooms. The atmosphere was warm, energetic and open, with plenty of opportunities to exchange experiences and try things first-hand.
Learning by Doing
Robotics and engineering brought technology directly into the event space, while demonstrations such as drone training and drone football showed how emerging technologies can become engaging learning experiences. For pupils in smaller and more remote schools, such formats can provide access to experiences and skills that might otherwise seem far removed from their everyday environment.
But the Education Summit was not simply about technology. Wellbeing, creativity, financial literacy and digital skills were equally present, reflecting the broad range of competencies schools are increasingly being asked to develop.
A New Path After Basic School
One particularly interesting topic was the changing landscape of vocational and applied secondary education. Estonia is reforming the options available after nine years of basic school, typically completed at the age of 15 or 16. The aim is to establish applied secondary education as a strong alternative to the traditional academic upper-secondary-school route, leading both towards a profession and, if desired, further studies.
The new programmes run for four years and combine general secondary education with professional studies, practical training and workplace experience. Students can therefore graduate with both an upper secondary education and skills for a specific professional field, without closing the door to higher education.
This was particularly relevant at the Education Summit because Tartu Vocational College VOCO, itself a partner of the German-Baltic Future Foundation, was among the institutions presenting how modern vocational education is evolving. The result is a broader choice after basic school: an academic education and learning a profession no longer need to be seen as two entirely separate paths.
What Mathematics Will Young People Actually Need?
One of the day's central discussions asked another important question: What kind of mathematical competence does Estonia need?
The panel brought together perspectives from education, academia, industry and vocational training, with Estonia's Minister of Education and Research Kristina Kallas among the participants. Rather than considering mathematics only as a school subject, the discussion explored the abilities needed for further education, professional life and an increasingly technological society. Kallas also addressed the Education Summit, bringing the national perspective into a day closely connected to the experiences and challenges of schools and educators.
Recognising Those Who Dare to Try Something Different
The Education Summit also recognised people and institutions already putting ideas into practice. Three €1,000 scholarships were presented in the categories Bold School, Bold Kindergarten and Innovative Teacher. The Bold School award went to Kuressaare Nooruse School, Pangapealse Kindergarten received the Bold Kindergarten award, and Joana Jõgela, who teaches chemistry at Hugo Treffner Gymnasium, Tartu Lutheran Peetri School and the University of Tartu, was recognised as Innovative Teacher.
The awards reflected a theme present throughout the day: strong education also depends on people willing to take initiative, experiment and try something different.
Strong Education Is Built Together
Perhaps the strongest impression from the Education Summit was the variety of people contributing to education. Teachers and school leaders met vocational educators, universities, technology companies, public institutions and other organisations. Some brought digital and technological solutions; others focused on wellbeing, creativity, teaching methods or choices after school.
For the German-Baltic Future Foundation, this is also what makes our partnership with Meaningful Talks so relevant. From Lilian Promet's contribution to Digital German-Baltic Insights to Estonia’s Education Summit in Tartu, the connection reflects a broader idea: education becomes stronger when people from different fields share their experience, knowledge and perspectives.
More than a thousand people who educate and influence Estonia's younger generation did exactly that – exchanging experiences, discovering possibilities and learning from one another. The Education Summit is therefore much more than an education conference. It is a meeting place for the people shaping what learning in Estonia can become next.