OREANDA-NEWS. February 20, 2013. This year the nationwide ‘Back to School’ focus week will last from 25 February to 1 March – schools are expecting hundreds of guest teachers. After this, teachers and guest teachers can continue to host common lessons throughout the school year with the support of a special e-solution, reported the press-centre of Swedbank.

President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, a long-standing guest teacher and supporter of the initiative, welcomed the introduction of the e-solution to the project. “I have given lessons in several schools in the framework of the ‘Back to School’ programme and I think it’s an initiative that works well, expanding the study programmes of schools and broadening the minds of the guest teachers,” he said. “If the new information system makes it possible to teach classes throughout the school year, that’s a positive outcome for the initiative and for the society as a whole.”

The leader of the initiative, Triin Noorkoiv, said that the introduction of the new technological assistant is a long-awaited leap in development. “In the e-state like Estonia is, we’re looking for clever e-solutions to achieve our goals,” she said. “Considering the experience of the last six years, we’ve created an information system for the initiative which enables school teachers and people outside of schools to find each other more easily whenever they want to. This way we can provide freedom of action on grass root level and people can meet each other without anybody unrelated having to be the middle-man.”

The user-friendliness of the system has been tested by 50 employees from Swedbank, the strategic partner of the initiative. “We’re calling on everyone to join the ‘Back to School’ initiative,” said Ulla Ilisson, Head of Swedbank’s Retail Banking Division in Estonia.

“My experience gave me a strong feeling that this initiative would facilitate communication between society and schools. Swedbank as a large corporation is aware of its responsibility and role in society, and has been for years. Education and development of financial literacy will require more attention from us in the coming years, and thanks to the new information system it’s now even easier.”

The aim of the initiative is to help foster cooperation between schools and the rest of the society more broadly. “Learning and teaching should become more engaging for pupils, teachers and guest teachers who visit schools,” said Noorkoiv, who has been both a teacher and a guest teacher. “I’m really glad that so many people and organisations have com along with the idea, including Swedbank, who is our strategic partner in the initiative, as well as the governing area of the Minister for Regional Affairs and the National Foundation of Civil Society – we wouldn’t be here today without their support.”

All school teachers and active citizens who are interested in teaching at least one lesson are welcome to visit the website www.tagasikooli.ee.

‘Back to School’ was initiated by the Youth to School Foundation in 2007. With the support of the President of the Republic of Estonia, it has reached thousands of people and continues to grow each year. The initiative is led by Triin Noorkoiv and Tiina Pauklin, the alumni of the Youth to School programme. The information system development project was financed by the governing area of the Minister for Regional Affairs, the National Foundation of Civil Society and Swedbank, the strategic partner in the ‘Back to School’ initiative.