Figure 1.--This photograph shows an Estonian primary schhol in 1947 just after World War II. The school is still operating. We note boys wearing short pants including suspender shorts. One boy wears a sailor suit. There seem some rather old boys at the back, perhaps their education was delayed by World War II. Many boys have short, cropped hair.

Estonia has been dominated by Sweden and Russia and strongly influenced by Germany and the country's education system strongly reflects these influemces. The oldest educational facility in Estonia is the University of Tartu, establisged in 1632. The University was founded by Gustaf Adolf, King of Sweden, when the Swedes controlled Estonia. The language of instruction and most of the doctoral theses were in German until 1919. The educational system was heavily influenced by the Soviet system after the country was invaded and annexed by the Soviet Union (1940). We note boys without school uniforms right after World War II (figure 1). We note boys wearing short pants including suspender shorts. One boy wears a sailor suit. There seem some rather old boys at the back, perhaps their education was delayed by World War II. Many boys have short, cropped hair. Presumably as the country began to recover from the War, the standard Soviet school uniform became more common. Since independence, Estonian school children no longer wear uniforms. I'm unsure just what other changes have taken place in education since independence. One change is there are now schools that operate in the Estonian as well as the Russian language.

Chronology

Estonia has been dominated by Sweden and Russia and strongly influenced by Germany and the country's education system strongly reflects these influemces. The oldest educational facility in Estonia is the University of Tartu, establisged in 1632. The University was founded by Gustaf Adolf, King of Sweden, when the Swedes controlled Estonia. The language of instruction and most of the doctoral theses were in German until 1919. The educational system was heavily influenced by the Soviet system after the country was invaded and annexed by the Soviet Union (1940). I'm unsure just what other changes have taken place in education since independence. One change is there are now schools that operate in the Estonian as well as the Russian language.

Uniforms

School uniforms were worn during the Tsarist era. Boys in secondary schools wore cadet uniforms. We have little information about Estonian schools after independence during the inter-war era, but we notice many girls wearing pinafores. We note boys without school uniforms right after World War II (figure 1). We note boys wearing short pants including suspender shorts. One boy wears a sailor suit. There seem some rather old boys at the back, perhaps their education was delayed by World War II. Many boys have short, cropped hair. Presumably as the country began to recover from the War, the standard Soviet school uniform became more common and by the 1950s required. Children throughout the Soviet Union wore the same uniform. Boys wore a military-styleSince independence, Estonian school children no longer wear uniforms.

Created: April 8, 2004
Last updated: 7:44 PM 5/29/2006