TALLINN, 23 May 2025 – The Ministry of Education and Research, as the owner of schools, should ensure that all students with special educational needs (SEN) in vocational schools receive the support required by law, as there is currently a shortage of support specialists and, unlike in general education schools, funding for SEN students in vocational schools has not changed since 2019. The big difference in funding between vocational and general education schools for pupils in need of support is not justified, the National Audit Office says in the audit published today.
The National Audit Office found that the majority of vocational schools do not manage to provide support services and measures and do not guarantee the availability of the services prescribed to students by law. “As the Ministry of Education and Research stood for the extension of compulsory school attendance by young people from this autumn to reduce interruption of education after basic school, the ministry must also fulfil its statutory obligations to reduce the drop-out rate,” said Auditor General Janar Holm. “For young people to continue their education, it must be possible for them to get support from professionals when they need it.”
The share of SEN students has almost doubled in the last five years, increasing from 7% to 13%. In total, almost 4,600 SEN students attended vocational schools during this period, but schools estimate that there are up to twice as many students in need of support, as there are no accurate records of students who need temporary support.
“The Ministry often accuses local authorities of failing to comply or not complying adequately with legal requirements in the field of education,” said Auditor General Janar Holm. “As most vocational schools are managed by the Ministry of Education and Research, the Ministry is the one that has all the levers to ensure that students receive the support they need to meet their individual needs and to which they are entitled by law.” “At the same time, it turned out that only one vocational educational institution employed a psychologist as well as a special and social pedagogue every year during the audited period. However, the school was not managed by the Ministry, but by a local authority.”
90% of vocational schools stated that they are not able to provide all the necessary support services and measures for students with special educational needs to the extent needed. One of the reasons for this is the widespread shortage of support specialists – psychologists, special and social pedagogues – in schools. The shortage of support specialists means that special educational needs can go unnoticed at the right time. If support services or measures are not provided, or are provided too late or inadequately, students may not be able to progress in their studies and fulfil their potential in the labour market.
A total of 45 support specialists worked in vocational schools in the 2023/2024 academic year. In order to support students better, schools estimate that at least 40 more such positions are needed. So, the shortage of support specialists in schools is almost as big as the number of working specialists. Although the law also allows schools to outsource the service, only four vocational schools used this option in 2023.
Support for SEN students in vocational schools is significantly less well funded than in general education schools, and such a large difference is not justified. Although teaching and supporting SEN students is significantly more expensive than supporting ordinary students and extra money is allocated from the state budget to support them, funding for SEN students in vocational schools has not increased over the last six years.
For example, in 2023, a SEN student in an upper secondary school received either €5,746 or €11,328 extra money from the state budget compared to an ordinary student, depending on their need for support, but in vocational education, the amount of extra money allocated for teaching a SEN student and ensuring supporting service for them was, compared to an ordinary student, only either €2,380 or €5,334. This is an obstacle to the recruitment of support specialists as well as the creation of smaller study groups, which means that not all SEN students receive the support they need.
It is difficult for SEN students to enter the labour market from vocational schools – the needs of the labour market must be taken into account better and the students who start working should be supported. Individualised career plans are rarely developed in schools as a support measure for SEN students, and career counselling and finding places for traineeships depend largely on the initiative of each school. The analysis by the National Audit Office shows that a large proportion of vocational school graduates do not find a job after leaving school or only work for a short time. For example, 46% of students who complete the second-level of vocational education and 40% of those who complete the third-level have not worked a day since their graduation.
Labour market needs and forecasts of the need for workforce have not been sufficiently taken into account in vocational education curricula, which is the reason why the number of people trained in some areas is considerably bigger than labour market needs. When opening curricula, schools have considered the preferences of adult learners more than the forecasts of the need for workforce. Schools have also preferred curricula with lower costs.
Main recommendations of the National Audit Office
The National Audit Office recommends that the Ministry of Education and Research ensure that support services are equally accessible and of the same quality in all vocational schools. Performance indicators for support services should also be established so that support for students can be objectively assessed.
The Ministry of Education and Research should guide vocational schools to take labour market needs into account when opening their curricula in order to improve young people’s chances of finding work and staying in the labour market. The use of work-based learning and actively seeking cooperation opportunities with employers could support going to work. In order to improve the cooperation between the education and social systems, the Ministry should also agree with the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications on how and under whose responsibility case management work will be carried out to support students joining the labour market.
The funding model of vocational schools needs to be updated. SEN students must be given support based on their individual needs, whether they are in vocational or general education.
Background
A student with special educational needs is a student who has been identified as needing additional support in the learning process due to his or her special needs and who requires modifications or adaptations in study time, teaching methodology, assessment methodology, learning organisation, learning materials or learning environment in order to achieve the learning outcomes set out in the curriculum.
Vocational schools are responsible for ensuring that all students have access to support services, such as career services, learning support, special or social pedagogical services. In order to support SEN students, schools must, in addition to support services, provide the following support measures if necessary: development and implementation of an individual curriculum, development of an individual career plan, learning in a small group, moderate or intensive pedagogical intervention.
The National Audit Office analysed 26 vocational education institutions (vocational schools) in its audit. The Ministry of Education and Research is the owner of 24 vocational schools, two are owned by the City of Tartu and the City of Tallinn.
Vocational schools had approximately 19,000–21,000 in the 2019/2020–2023/2024 academic years. Depending on the academic year, there share of SEN students among them ranged from 7–13%. In total, 4,585 SEN students studied in vocational schools during the period reviewed.
Vocational education is divided into different levels, which have different conditions for admission. For example, the existence of a basic education is not required at the second and third levels of vocational education, but at the fourth level, it is generally necessary. Second and third level graduates acquire vocational education. In addition to vocational education, a fourth level graduate also receives upper secondary education if he or she follows the secondary vocational education curriculum.
Priit Simson
Communication Manager of the National Audit Office
+372 640 0777
+372 5615 0280
[email protected]
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http://www.riigikontroll.ee/
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Posted:
5/23/2025 10:00 AM
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Last Update:
5/23/2025 2:56 PM
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Last Review:
5/23/2025 2:56 PM