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Estonians love to study English, but some in the Estonian government wonder whether Estonians put too much emphasis on learning English, and too little on learning other languages, as Cyrus Farivar reports from the Estonian capital, Tallinn.
Most Estonian high schoolers learn English these days. Estonian students start learning English in first or second grade and often take classes for other languages in high school. But this woman thinks there’s too much emphasis on English. She wants students to get the chance to study other languages early on. She says if Estonian students could master several languages by graduation, it could boost Estonia’s international image. According to government statistics, 84% of Estonian students study English, and less than half that study Russian. This professor says she thinks it makes sense to learn English. Estonian kids are often very interested in American television and culture. Estonians often speak about the importance of learning other languages.