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President Ilves: the learning-capable Estonian people are ready for a new education strategy

12.01.2008

“Estonian young people have always been capable, smart and enterprising. Complaints about young people being spoiled are probably as old as mankind. Moreover, it is good to know that this continues not to be true,” President Toomas Hendrik Ilves said on Friday at the education forum held at the Võru County Vocational Education Center in Väimela.

According to the Estonian Head of State, the recent PISA survey shows that Estonian education has a strong foundation and we are on the right track. “These results are not achieved in just a few years. “This is backed by the proper attitude in Estonian homes, the determination and diligence of Estonian children, and the professionalism of Estonian teachers,” President Ilves said expressing his approval, adding that we must now look to the future and think about how to move on.

“How can we make sure that we don’t lose a single talent in our small country? How, with the support of various politicians, can we guarantee that the children will receive the world’s best education in Tapa as well as Tarvastu, in Tõrva as well as Toila? How do we make sure that in the future every child and young person in Estonia will cope successfully regardless of his or her native language or language of instruction,” the President listed the questions that should definitely be considered in the course of the education forum in Väimela, as well as by the Ministry of Education and Research, the Riigikogu, the political parties, the Office of the President, national and city governments, and county education departments.

The Estonian Head of State welcomed the education forum’s initiative to start working out the springboard and content for Estonia’s new education strategy. “It seems to me that the learning-capable Estonian people are ready for this,” the President expressed his conviction.

President Ilves is of the opinion that it is possible for Estonia to learn from the experiences of other countries and brought Denmark, with its flexible job market, as an example. “If we speak of Denmark’s example in respect to job market flexibility, then we must also remember that Denmark is at the forefront of organizing retraining and in-service training,” said the Head of State.

“The world around us is changing very rapidly. The knowledge that we acquire in secondary school, university or even in doctoral studies will not suffice in ten years. The acquisition of knowledge last continuously throughout one’s life,” said President Ilves in conclusion.

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