Pelgulinna Gymnasium Principal: Estonian Education Has Too Much Anxiety and Public Pressure

Pelgulinna Gymnasium Principal Tõnu Piibur believes that Estonia's education system is plagued by excessive anxiety, anger and public pressure. He warns school leaders against hasty resignation and emphasises that education needs people who can learn from mistakes.

Pelgulinna Gymnasium Principal Tõnu Piibur highlights a concerning trend in the Estonian education landscape: schools are increasingly beset by anxiety, anger and public pressure, which harms the wellbeing of both teachers and students. In his view, the problem is systemic and demands serious attention.

According to Piibur, spring tensions in schools are often predictable — they arise because learning has fallen behind during the year, and the final period brings accumulated problems to the surface. "When learning is pushed to the last moment, it is no wonder that spring brings stress and conflict," he explains.

School Leaders Should Not Resign Hastily

The principal separately raises the question of school leaders' resilience and role. In his view, school leaders should think seriously before resigning following difficult incidents, and should not give in to excessive public pressure. Estonian education needs, in his opinion, people who can move forward while learning from mistakes, rather than those who flee from responsibility.

Piibur emphasises that the role of school principal requires extraordinary psychological resilience. Public pressure, demands from parents and media coverage can make the work unbearable even for experienced education professionals. Therefore, it is important that schools and local governments support leaders in resolving difficult situations, rather than expecting them to leave quickly.

Education System Needs Change

More broadly, the Pelgulinna Gymnasium principal sees a need to change Estonian education culture — to move from a logic of punishment and blame towards a logic of learning and development. This requires changes both in the internal work culture of schools and in society's overall attitude to education.