Published: 2013-09-01
Key Benefits:
Passed 10.11.1993
RT I 1993, 74, 1054
(except for the specifications provided for in § 16)
| 26.06.1996 | RT I 1996, 49, 953 | 26.07.1996 |
| 16.06.1998 | RT I 1998, 61, 988 | 16.07.1998 |
| Consolidated text in paper version of Riigi Teataja | RT I 1998, 71, 1200 | |
| 13.01.1999 | RT I 1999, 10, 150 | 14.02.0199 |
| 16.06.1999 | RT I 1999, 60, 617 | 26.07.1999, partially 01.01.2000 and 1.01.2001 |
| 16.10.2002 | RT I 2002, 90, 521 | 01.01.2003 |
| 29.01.2003 | RT I 2003, 20, 116 | 10.03.2003 |
| 23.10.2003 | RT I 2003, 71, 473 | 24.11.2003 |
| 21.04.2004 | RT I 2004, 41, 276 | 05.07.2004 |
| 21.12.2006 | RT I 2007, 4, 17 | 29.01.2007 |
| 17.12.2008 | RT I 2009, 5, 35 | 01.07.2009 |
| 18.06.2009 | RT I 2009, 35, 232 | 06.07.2009 |
| 09.06.2010 | RT I 2010, 41, 240 | 01.09.2010 |
| 23.02.2011 | RT I, 18.03.2011, 1 | 01.07.2011 |
| 12.06.2013 | RT I, 02.07.2013, 1 | 01.09.2013, partially 01.01.2014 |
| 20.06.2013 | RT I, 11.07.2013, 1 | 01.09.2013 |
| 19.06.2014 | RT I, 29.06.2014, 109 | 01.07.2014, official titles of ministers replaced on the basis of subsection 107³ (4) of the Government of the Republic Act starting from the wording in force as of 1 July 2014. |
§ 1. This Act provides the bases for adult education and training and the legal guarantees for adults to be able to access the learning they desire during their lifetime.
[RT I 1999, 60, 617 - entry into force 26.07.1999]
§ 2. For the purposes of this Act, adult education institutions are state and municipal authorities, private schools which hold an education licence and legal persons in public or private law, provided that adult education is an activity in which the authority, school or person engages pursuant to law or its statutes, and sole proprietors.
[RT I 1999, 60, 617 - entry into force 26.07.1999]
(1) Depending on its objectives, education is, according to this Act, one of the following:
1) formal education acquired within the adult education system;
2) professional education and training;
3) informal education.
(2) Formal education acquired within the adult education system provides the opportunity to acquire basic education and general secondary education in the form of non-stationary studies or as an external pupil, to acquire formal vocational education in the form of non-stationary studies and to acquire higher education in part-time study or as an external student. Completion of formal education acquired within the adult education system shall be certified by a certificate or diploma.
[RT I, 02.07.2013, 1 - entry into force 01.09.2013]
(3) Professional education and training provides the opportunity to acquire and develop professional, occupational and/or vocational knowledge, skills and experience and the opportunity for retraining at the place of employment or at an educational institution. Completion of professional education and training shall be certified by a certificate.
(4) Informal education provides the opportunity to develop personality, creativity, talents, initiative and a sense of social responsibility and to accumulate the knowledge, skills and abilities needed in life. Learning takes place in the form of courses, study circles or any other form suitable for learners.
(1) The provisions of the Basic Schools and Upper Secondary Schools Act, the Vocational Educational Institutions Act, the Institutions of Professional Higher Education Act, the Universities Act and the Private Schools Act extend to the activities of educational institutions which provide formal education acquired within the adult education system.
(2) [Repealed - RT I 1999, 60, 617 - entry into force 26.07.1999]
(3) All authorities and persons specified in § 2 of this Act may organise the provision of professional education and training and informal education.
(4) The Private Schools Act applies to sole proprietors and legal persons in private law who provide hobby education or organise professional education and training or informal education for adults if the instruction organised thereby lasts longer than 120 hours or is longer than 6 months of instruction in a year.
[RT I 2004, 41, 276 - entry into force 05.07.2004]
(41) The Private Schools Act applies to sole proprietors and legal persons in private law who organise Estonian language training as the professional education and training or informal education for adults regardless of the duration of the instruction organised thereby.
[RT I, 18.03.2011, 1 - entry into force 01.07.2011]
(5) The Vocational Educational Institutions Act and the Institutions of Professional Higher Education Act apply to the provision of professional education and training for adults organised by state or municipal vocational educational institutions and state institutions of professional higher education.
(6) [Repealed - RT I 2004, 41, 276 - entry into force 05.07.2004]
§ 41. [Repealed - RT I 1999, 60, 617 - entry into force 26.07.1999]
§ 5. [Repealed - RT I 1998, 61, 988 - entry into force 16.07.1998]
§ 6. The Government of the Republic shall:
1) approve the national priorities of adult education;
2) on the basis of those priorities, prescribe funds for adult education and research into adult education in the draft state budget within the expenditure of the area of government of the Ministry of Education and Research;
3) form the Adult Education Council and approve its statutes.
[RT I 2002, 90, 521 - entry into force 01.01.2003]
(1) The Adult Education Council is an advisory body to the Government of the Republic which:
1) advises the Government of the Republic in matters relating to adult education;
2) advises the Government of the Republic upon the preparation of the draft state budget in respect of the funds prescribed for supporting adult education;
3) determines the national priorities of adult education;
4) on the basis of submitted reports, provides an assessment of the use of funds allocated from the state budget for the support of adult education.
(2) The minister responsible for the area shall be the chairman of the Adult Education Council by virtue of office and he or she shall appoint a deputy chairman from among the members of the Council.
[RT I, 29.06.2014, 109 - entry into force 01.07.2014, "Minister of Education and Research" has been replaced with the words "minister responsible for the area" on the basis of subsection 107³ (4) of the Government of the Republic Act as of 1 July 2014]
(3) Clerical support to the Adult Education Council shall be provided by the Ministry of Education and Research.
[RT I 1999, 60, 617 - entry into force 26.07.1999]
§ 7. Local government bodies shall:
1) ensure that persons permanently resident in the territory of the local government have the opportunity to acquire basic and secondary education and shall facilitate the provision of professional education and training and informal education, if necessary by co-operating with other local governments;
2) support the provision of training to unemployed persons, persons seeking work, other socially underprivileged persons and disabled persons.
(1) Employees and public servants shall be granted study leave in order to participate in education and training.
(2) In order to participate in education and training, study leave shall be granted to an employee or public servant on the basis of a notice from the relevant educational institution and the study leave shall be granted for up to thirty calendar days in a year.
(3) An employee or public servant shall be paid the average wages for twenty calendar days during the study leave connected with formal education acquired within the adult education system and with professional education and training.
(4) Additional study leave of fifteen calendar days shall be granted for the completion of formal education acquired within the adult education system and for which the employee or public servant shall be paid the minimum wage established under subsection 29 (5) of the Employment Contracts Act.
(5) The provisions of subsections (2)-(4) of this section shall also be applied to employees and public servants who participate in formal education acquired within the adult education system in the form of full-time study.
[RT I, 02.07.2013, 1 - entry into force 01.09.2013]
§ 9. An employer may postpone the grant of study leave if more than 10 per cent of the employees or public servants are on study leave at the same time.
[RT I 1999, 60, 617 - entry into force 26.07.1999]
§ 10. The general co-ordination of adult education and training shall be organised by the Ministry of Education and Research.
[RT I 2002, 90, 521 - entry into force 01.01.2003]
§ 11. Regardless of the form of ownership, adult education institutions shall act independently in the organisation of studies, in the selection of forms of study, curricula and teaching methods and in the use of funds within the limits established by legislation.
§ 12. [Repealed - RT I 1998, 61, 988 - entry into force 16.07.1998]
(1) [Repealed - RT I 1998, 61, 988 - entry into force 16.07.1998]
(2) [Repealed - RT I 1998, 61, 988 - entry into force 16.07.1998]
(3) Training courses for persons seeking work and unemployed persons shall be ordered and paid for by the Ministry of Social Affairs. Local governments may also allocate funds from their budgets for this purpose.
(4) In order to provide opportunities for adults to acquire professional education and training, funds may be prescribed in rural municipality or city budgets.
(5) Funds for professional education and training for employees and public servants of state authorities shall be prescribed in the state budget and the costs of professional education and training shall be reimbursed in case of available budgetary funds.
[RT I 2009, 35, 232 - entry into force 06.07.2009]
(51) Funds for professional education and training for teachers whose wages are covered from the state budget shall be prescribed in the state budget to the extent of at least 3 per cent of the annual wage fund of those teachers.
[RT I, 11.07.2013, 1 - entry into force 01.09.2013]
(52) Funds for professional education and training for local government authority teachers whose wages are covered from the relevant rural municipality or city budget shall be prescribed in the state budget to the extent of at least 3 per cent of the annual wage fund of those teachers.
[RT I, 11.07.2013, 1 - entry into force 01.09.2013]
(6) The costs of professional education and training for employees and public servants of local governments shall be prescribed in the relevant local government budget.
[RT I 1999, 60, 617 - entry into force 26.07.1999; entry into force of subsections (5) and (5²) 01.01.2000]
(1) Informal education shall be paid for by the natural or legal person interested therein.
(2) Funds for the support of informal education may be prescribed in the state budget and rural municipality and city budgets; only the remuneration of teachers at and heads of adult education institutions which hold an education licence shall be supported out of state budget funds through the Ministry of Education and Research.
[RT I 2002, 90, 521 - entry into force 01.01.2003]
§ 15. The conditions for applying for the funds specified in clause 6 2) and subsection 14 (2) of this Act from the state budget and the procedure for financing shall be established by the Government of the Republic.
[RT I 1999, 60, 617 - entry into force 26.07.1999]
§ 16. Clause 7 1) and subsection 13 (5) of this Act enter into force on 1 January 1995.
(1) The provisions of this Act relating to formal education acquired within the adult education system apply to pupils who, before the academic year 2004/05, are admitted to a secondary vocational education study programme undertaken on the basis of secondary education if their studies are pursued in the form of evening courses or distance learning.
(2) The provisions of this Act relating to formal education acquired within the adult education system apply to students who began acquiring higher education before the academic year 2003/04 and to persons applying for an academic degree, if their studies are pursued in the form of distance learning or as an external student.
(3) The provisions of this Act relating to formal education acquired within the adult education system apply to persons who began acquiring vocational secondary education on the basis of basic education or secondary education before 1 January 2006, if their studies are pursued in the form of part-time study or as an external pupil.
[RT I 2007, 4, 17 - entry into force 29.01.2007]
(4) The right to be granted a study leave for participation in and the completion of formal education acquired within the adult education system provided for in § 8 of this Acts also applies to pupils undergoing vocational training or acquiring vocational secondary education in the form of part-time or full-time study.
[RT I, 02.07.2013, 1 - entry into force 01.09.2013]
