New amendments to Estonian Law on Language


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From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Date: Thu, 3 Dec 1998 20:48:54 +0200 (EET)
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Subject: New amendments to Estonian Law on Language

From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>

Original sender: Andrei Arjupin <[email protected]>

New amendments to Estonian Law on Language


The new amendments to Estonian Law on Language.
 
At the moment new amendments to the Law on Language are considered in
the parliament of Estonia. By means of adoption of these amendments,
the state intends to establish requirements to the members and
employees of the private, commercial and non-profit organizations and
institutions. Persons will be obliged to pass special exam on
knowledge of the state language, then they will receive a certificate
proving appropriate category of the language knowledge of its holder.
As far as the given practise already exists, the language inspection
will control presence of the certificate and conformity of its
category to a post occupied by the person.

Below we enclose free translation of the amendments aiming to get
comments and opinions of the Minelres subscribers.
 
Law on amendments to the Law on Language
 
1. The Law on Language is amended by the following:
 
1) Article 5 is changed and stated in the following edition:
 
"5. Requirements for the knowledge of the Estonian language

(1) State servants and employees of commercial, non-profit and target
organizations and institutions, dealing in work-related issues with
the public, have to have command in Estonian language at the level
which is necessary for exercising of ministerial duties and labour
tasks. The Government of the Republic determines requirements for the
knowledge of the Estonian language and, based on them, descriptions of
language proficiency levels.

(2) The Government of the Republic shall define applicability
conditions of the requirements for the knowledge of the Estonian
language in the case of foreign specialists and experts working on the
ground of work permit.

(3) State examination comissions shall assess the knowledge of the
Estonian language on the examination on the level of language
proficiency.

(4) Persons who have acquired either basic, or general or higher
education in the Estonian language shall not be required to take
examination.

(5) A certificate on the knowledge of the Estonian language, for which
the Government of the Republic shall establish the standard, shall be
issued to all persons who have passed examination on the level of
language proficiency. The certificate of the primary level of language
proficiency is valid for 3 years. The certificate of the secondary
level of language proficiency is valid for 5 years. The certificate of
the higher level of the language proficiency has no date of
expiration.

(6) Persons who wish to proceed the examination on the level of
language proficiency are entitled to the free preliminary consulting
for state account at a rate and in order, established by the
Governmetn of the Republic."
 
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