Baltic States – CIS, Belarus, Covid-19, Education and Science, Estonia, Technology

Kristen Michal, chairman of the Reform Party group in the Tallinn city council, submitted a proposal on Sept. 17 seeking for the city authorities to start supporting the studies of Belarusian students in Tallinn University and TalTech.

The Tallinn city government does not deem it necessary to do so and has said that the creation of the city's scholarships must be guided by the city's sectoral interests. The city authorities pointed out that the state has already created scholarships at the initiative of the Ministry of Education and Research and the Foreign Ministry, which are also accessible to Belarusian students.

The Education Ministry's scholarship programs for foreign students, researchers and lecturers are available on bachelor, master and doctoral levels and for participation in summer schools. Estonia also supports several priority states, including Belarus, in its development cooperation through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Foreign Ministry has underlined that supporting higher education has for a long time been one of the most important activities in Estonia' development cooperation. With a measure of the ministry, broader introduction of information and communication technologies is fostered in Belarus in all sectors. Support for Belarus ranges from 220,000 to 250,000 euros per year, and it also includes support to Belarusian students studying in TalTech, Estonian School of Diplomacy and University of Tartu.