Pille Kaisel. Photo: screenshot from Postimehe TV broadcast The title of person of the year was presented to Pille Kaisel by Pistimehe editor-in-chief Priit Hõbemägi. Photo: screenshot from Postimehe TV broadcast
On Tuesday, Postimees announced the director of Metsküla school, Pille Kaisel, as Postimees’ Person of the Year 2023.
Pille Kaisel is the principal of Metsküla school, who continued to work despite the fact that last March 24, 13 members of the Läänerantna council decided that Metsküla school should be closed. The chairman of the council promised that if there are indications that such a support measure will really come, it is always possible for the council to make a new decision.
According to the state budget bill approved by the government, 2.4 million euros will be allocated as a support measure for the survival of sixth-grade schools. The leaders of Lääneranna municipality still insist that such a support measure does not exist and that if there was, Metsküla would not benefit from it. The municipality does not provide support persons for two students with special needs, because the children do not fulfill their school obligations. The court case over the closing of the school drags on because the judge keeps postponing the decision. The Lääneranna municipality government has backtracked on the promise made in the spring that it would support the creation of a private school in Metsküla.
Priit Hõbemägi, the editor-in-chief of Postimehe, said when handing over the award that choosing the person of the year is a long tradition in Postimehe, and it is being done for the 27th time. “It was not difficult for us to choose, but its life in 2023 has not been easy. We found Postman’s person of the year in a small rural school whose name is already familiar to all Estonians today,” he said. Hõbemägi added that the students, teachers and parents of this school have made great efforts to keep the school open and need more support.
Journalist Andrus Karnau, who covered the topic in Postimehes, said that the most important thing to say about the Metsküla school is that an independent country consists of small particles, and for the people of Metsküla, the school is the first thing that embodies their independent country. “The Metsküla school has been the center of the community of Estonia’s top intellectuals,” said Karnau. “I think that the school system in Estonia should be such that there are big schools and there are small schools,” added Karnau. He talked about how it is important to have a school in rural areas, and it is also a security issue, because where there is a school, people also live.
With the Postimehe Person of the Year title, Postimehe’s editors recognize a person who has stood out for something important. The practice started in 1997.
Background
Last year, Postimees named Johanna-Maria Lehtme, the CEO of the NGO Slava Ukraini, as the person of the year 2022. On May 19, the paper announced that given that Johanna-Maria Lehtme has undermined Estonian people’s faith in charitable organizations and helping Ukraine with her actions, and that she has not presented evidence that would disprove the doubts that arose in society, Postimees decided to name the person of the year To take away Johanna-Maria Lehtme.
2022 On Wednesday, Postimees newspaper awarded the title of person of the year for the 25th time, this time to the long-time head of education, politician and mayor of Narva, Katri Raik.
Postman’s Person of the Year
1997 – Ardo Hansson – one of the few foreseers of the stock market crisis 1998 – Linnar Viik – information technology expert and analyst 1999 – Andres Metspalu – one of the initiators of the Gene Repository project 2000 – Ilmar Petersen – chairman of the board of Elcoteq Tallinn, creator of the high-tech company 2001 – Ivar Must – winner of the Eurovision Song Contest song “Everybody ” composer 2002 – Andrus Veerpalu – Olympic skiing champion 2003 – Alar Sikk – conquered the world‘s highest peak, Mount Everest 2004 – Estonian soldier in Iraq – recognition of the bravery and camaraderie of Estonian professional soldiers 2005 – Tarmo Soomere – forecaster of the floods accompanying the January storm 2006 – makers of the film “Inventors’ Village Lotte” 2007 – Marina Kaljurand – Ambassador of the Republic of Estonia in Moscow 2008 – Gerd Kanter – Olympic discus champion 2009 – Sofi Oksanen – Explainer of Estonian history and Estonianness 2010 – Tanel Laisaar, lung doctor who led Estonia’s first lung transplant 2011 – Anne Sulling and Hannu Lamp, Estonia’s unused CO2 emission quota for organizing the sale 2012 – Urmas Dresen, a visionary who dared to dream very big, that he built his idea from scratch. see Airport Terminal 2013 – Mart Noorma, project manager of the student satellite EstCube-1 2014 – Hirvo Surva, artistic director of the 26th General Song Festival 2015 – Ivo Felt, film producer 2016 – Tõnis Lukas, for his contribution to the completion of the new building of the Estonian National Museum 2017 – Asko Lõhmus, took part in 2017. 2018 – the authors of the memorial to the victims of communism Kalle Vellevoog, Jaan Tiidemann, Tiiu Truus, Kirke Kangro and Lidia Zarudnaja 2019 – film director Tanel Toom, screenwriter and director of the film of the same name based on the first part of Anton Hansen Tammsaare’s “Tõe ja kriti” 2020 – Arkadi Popov, emergency physician, emergency medical manager of the Health Board’s crisis staff during the pandemic 2021 – Katri Raik, long-time head of education, politician and mayor of Narva. 2022 – Johanna-Maria Lehtme, CEO of Slava Ukraini NGO. (On May 19, 2023, the paper announced that it had taken the Postman’s Person of the Year title from Lehtme.) 2023 – Pille Kaisel, headmaster of Metsküla
Source: Postman