Page 27 - TLU magazine - The Way to The Top

MIGRATION DEPENDENCY and integration challenges
Two major challenges for the Estonian society are related to migration dependency and integration: in a country with a diminishing popula- tion, there is an increasing need for labour force, and we also have prominent difficulties with integrating previous migrants.
With the Estonian Research Council’s financing and in collaboration with five ministries, the project RITA-migration led by the University of Tartu and Tallinn University tries to find answers to two main questions:
1) How to mitigate the decline in the working- age population in Estonia in the future with mi- gration in order to meet the interests
of both employers and the state?
2) How to achieve the smooth- est possible integration of migrants, considering
on one hand employers’
needs for new employees and on the other the integration capabilities of the people arriving, the education system and the local communities?
The TU research project
focuses mainly on the second
question of the research project.
Our main presumption is the under-
standing that successful integration politics
require a common educational system which is based on Estonian language but at the same time values the cultural and linguistic diversity of Esto- nia. The current education system that is differen- tiated based on Estonian and Russian languages further deepens segregation and does not help with integration or creating a more cohesive society.
The aim of the study is to develop principles and definitions based on which a society should be formed in Estonia which would rely on a common political i.e. state, identity, but which at the same time would ensure that citizens have the opportunity to acquire and develop a unique cultural (national) identity.
More specifically, we are interested in which cultural values, competences and attitudes should be taught at Estonian schools to ensure success- ful integration. We identify which practical tools would help develop the values, competences and attitudes associated with cultural diversity in Es- tonia, both among the native locals and migrants.
Special attention is given to the ques- tion of how to avoid and mitigate
the conflicts and tension in the Estonian society that stem from different historical experiences and differ-
ent cultural memories. How to support multi- perspective history learning at schools to build better interaction
and integration between people with different cultural backgrounds.
The research work has primarily two types of results. On one hand,
there are the analytical reports that offer systematic and conceptually thought-through
visions to develop a successful integration policy in Estonia. On the other hand, there are practical tools for developing values, competences and attitudes associated with cultural diversity in the Estonian so- ciety, first and foremost, at schools and communities.
RITA migration project “Migration dependency and integration challenges for Estonia, employers, communities and education” lasts from 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2020. The total budget across the universities is 1.5 million euros, the financer is the Estonian Research Council via the European Regional Development Fund. The project is led by the University of Tartu with the participation of several Tallinn University researchers and five ministries.
More information: ranne.ut.ee
Cultural history professor Marek Tamm
TALLINN UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE / NO. 14 / SPRING 2020
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