Estonian Schools Introduce Artificial Intelligence

For example, in many schools in England, the use of any devices during lessons is prohibited. In Estonia, there are no such restrictions. Moreover, starting from the next academic year, all students will have personal AI accounts.

Kristina Kallas, Estonia's Minister of Education and Research, stated during her visit to London for the World Education Forum: "I understand the skepticism and caution shown by most European countries regarding mobile phones and new technologies. The fact is that Estonian society is much more open and inclined to use digital tools. Teachers are no exception."

The initiative is being implemented nationwide under the name AI Leap. Its goal is to provide free access to the best AI tools for students and teachers, helping them acquire the necessary skills for working with generative chatbots. To achieve this, companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic will be involved as partners. They will allow free use of their services, such as ChatGPT Edu, specifically designed for education.

Kristina Kallas' view is supported by schoolteachers. For example, Oleg Shvaikovsky, head of St. John's School, says: "Artificial intelligence is fundamentally and radically changing education. In fact, the transformation that is happening now due to AI is comparable to the changes that occurred with the emergence of the first encyclopedias 250 years ago. Back then, people were similarly worried that education had lost its meaning because you could simply take an encyclopedia off the shelf and find answers to any questions."

Next academic year, twenty thousand 10th and 11th-grade students and three thousand teachers will take part in the large-scale project. Another year later, new senior students will join the initiative. As a result, by 2027, AI Leap will involve 58,000 students and 5,000 teachers.

Before the start of the new academic year, teachers will undergo special training on the proper use of AI. Kristina Kallas outlined the plan: "The first four months will consist of practical workshops with teachers to familiarize them with AI as a concept. In August, more in-depth training will begin, focusing on the possibilities of using new technologies in teaching. And in September, the program itself will launch." Particular emphasis during the training will be placed on digital ethics and educational equality.

The Estonian government emphasizes that the purpose of the program is not to replace teachers, but to teach students critical thinking, digital literacy, and the ability to work with different AI models. Teachers will be able to independently decide in which subjects and topics AI should be applied, how best to integrate it, and in what format.

In 2022, Estonia ranked first among European countries in the PISA ranking. Estonian students showed the best results in mathematics, natural sciences, and creative thinking.