Estonia Receives High International Recognition for Educational Innovation

The Education and Youth Board (Harno) was awarded the Global Future Fit Award, which is given for outstanding and socially impactful innovative initiatives. The recognition was presented at the World Governments Summit in Dubai, where Harno's technology education solutions were evaluated based on their long-term impact and practical applicability. 

The Global Future Fit Award acknowledges consistent and future-oriented national education programs. The 2025 competition saw over 150 international initiatives submitted, out of which eight reached the finals, and three were awarded—among them, Estonia. 

Minister of Education and Research Kristina Kallas noted that this recognition affirms the strength of Estonia's education system and underscores the importance of the conscious and strategic adoption of digital opportunities. “Our value proposition lies in creating an environment where technology and artificial intelligence support teachers and allow students to focus on acquiring key future skills such as analytical thinking, creativity, project management, and communication skills. At the same time, we must consciously shape expectations—technology alone does not transform education; its impact depends on how well we support and prepare teachers for its use. Artificial intelligence is here to stay, and our task is to find ways to harness its potential in education,” said Kallas. 

“Estonia’s success and international recognition demonstrate that we are leaders in digital education,” said Harno’s Head of Educational Innovation Liina Kanter, who accepted the award. “Digital and technological skills are an integral part of Estonia’s education system, shaping young people’s future opportunities. This achievement is the result of thousands of teachers, school leaders, and education partners—from kindergartens to universities—as well as companies and employers who have contributed to the development of new generations' skills from the early days of the Tiger Leap program in the mid-1990s to today’s modern education programs,” Kanter remarked. 

Harno received international recognition for the following initiatives: 

1. The IT Academy program, a systematic approach to developing IT education that supports long-term cooperation between the state, businesses, and educational institutions. Its goal is to enhance the quality of vocational and higher education in information and communication technology (ICT), advance research in the field, and ensure the labor market has the necessary specialists through reskilling and continuing education. As a result of these activities, dropout rates decrease, the number of graduates increases, and their knowledge and skills align with labor market demands. Today, one in ten university students in Estonia chooses ICT studies, with one-third of them being women. 

2. The ProgeTiiger program develops ICT education in general education, helping students transition from technology consumers to its developers and creators. The program supports the development of technological literacy and digital competence among teachers and students and takes a holistic approach to informatics education—from curriculum development and learning materials to teacher training and student competitions. One key resource is the progetiiger.ee collection, where teachers can find materials for teaching informatics, programming, and robotics. By 2025, nearly all schools and kindergartens in Estonia will have participated in the program’s activities. Over 50,000 students have taken part in student events, and more than 7,000 teachers have been trained. 

3. Artificial Intelligence and Digital Teaching Methods, which have reached hundreds of schools and thousands of learners. Harno’s free online micro-learning courses explain the essence, logic, possibilities, and challenges of AI and provide guidelines on how to integrate AI into teaching. They also introduce AI applications for chatbot development, visual content, and video creation. Additionally, Harno organizes practical training sessions where teachers experiment with AI tools together with students in real classroom settings. These training sessions explore more effective ways to conduct international projects, plan lessons, and prepare homework assignments to make learning more meaningful and efficient. 

The development and implementation of these programs take place in close cooperation with Harno’s partners, including kindergartens, general education, vocational, and higher education institutions, education associations, employers, and government agencies. The initiatives are funded by the Ministry of Education and Research and the European Union. 

Estonia’s contribution to IT and technology implementation has been recognized in this competition before: in 2017, Estonia’s e-health solution won the award for the best government sector technological solution, and in 2022, Bürokratt was named the best AI-based public service, with the award accepted by President Kersti Kaljulaid. 

The Education and Youth Board (Harno) is a government agency of the Ministry of Education and Research that deals with the implementation of Estonian education and youth policy.