In Estonia, students’ transit, school meals, and textbooks are all free

Enlarge / Mailis Reps has been Estonia's Minister of Education since November 2016. (credit: Estonian Ministry of Education)

It's no secret that I have a deep love for the Baltic nation of Estonia. Ever since I read an article describing how the country had "declared Internet access as a human right," I've been hooked. (Estonia features prominently in my 2011 book, The Internet of Elsewhere.)

I went there for the first time in 2005 and have been back several times since. I've interviewed (now-former) President Toomas Hendrik Ilves a couple of times. I've gotten an e-residency card and more.

Recently, Estonia's minister of education, Mailis Reps, was visiting California, and her office asked me if I wanted to interview her about how the challenges of integrating IT and education in her home country. How could I say no?

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