The Estonian government is to support the education technology industry and invest in the implementation of new digital solutions in the country’s schools, reports Estonia World.
“It is highly important that studying and teaching becomes more interesting and interactive. I strongly believe Estonia’s start-ups can bring revolutionary changes in the way we are teaching and learning, just like TransferWise changed banking and Taxify changed the taxi service,” announced Tea Varrak, the secretary general of the ministry of education and research, adding that “the aim is to boost cooperation between schools and ed-tech companies.”
Over the next two years, the Estonian government, together with the KredEx foundation and Startup Estonia will invest in ed-tech solutions developed by start-ups, and implement them in Estonian schools.
“We are facing a number of challenges, because the needs of schools and the technical capabilities of entrepreneurs have not yet been met. In addition, the implementation of new solutions takes time in schools, especially when going international, because different countries have different education systems that demand tailor-made solutions. We are seeking to tackle these challenges and make Estonian schools pioneers of innovation in education,” added Maarika Truu the head of Startup Estonia.
“Today, about five per cent of Estonian start-ups are in ed-tech – the most notable are Guaana, Lingvist and Dreamapply. I believe that this pilot programme helps to raise awareness, strengthens cooperation between parties and stakeholders, and, most importantly, increase the number of ed-tech companies,” Ms Truu concluded.
Add Comment