EDUCATION IN TRANSITION - THE IMPACT OF NEOLIBERAL EDUCATIONAL REFORMS ON TEACHER PROFESSIONALISM IN ESTONIA

The teaching profession has always been affected by the changes in society. During the period under consideration (1986-1996) the Estonian education system experienced a change of ideology as in all Eastern Europe, after the collapse of Soviet Union, began the time of rapid changes both in society and education in form of democratisation and reforming the educational system in manner which was prone to neoliberalism. Therefore it was expected to be favourable time for innovation in education accompanied by focus on professionalisation of occupation. The aim of the study was to explore events and initiatives during the time of transition from totalitarianism to democracy that influenced developments in teacher control over their work. We used Eliot Freidson's model of professionalism as a frame for documentary analysis and we focused on teachers' control over work in both top-down and bottom - up initiatives. The results of the study reveal that although the pursuit towards teacher professionalisation was implicit in the Estonian legislation and professional media discussion, there were arguments from the beginning of the professional discussion that prepared the turn towards neoliberalism in Estonian education, with all its common characteristics of teacher deprofessionalisation.