Nearly a hundred people from 18 countries are learning Estonian in international summer courses at Tartu. On July 20th more than 50 people began learning Estonian under English-speaking and 40 under Finnish- speaking teachers.The biggest groups of students are from Finland and Germany, but there are students also from Australia, Indonesia, Canada, Switzerland, the United States, Russia and other countries.

"Summer courses for foreigners have always been popular and year by year students come from more and more distant countries," said Olle Kesli, head of theTartu University in-service training section. She said that for many people the courses were the first contact with the Estonian language and culture, which sometimes had developed into permanent interest. "It is nice that people continue to be interested and find time to take part in the summer courses, where in addition to language learning they also get an overview of cultural history and our rich historical legacy," Kesli said.

Summer language courses have been regularly held at Tartu University since 1998. In addition to language studies, the participants can take part in a cultural and entertainment programme, see sights inTartu and elsewhere in Estonia. The students will also visit the Viljandi Folk Music Festival and the Seto Kingdom Day.

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