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The President's Academic Council discussed the topic of our national pact06.09.2002
The President's Academic Council today in the hall of the Board of the Academy of Sciences held a meeting, at which three reports were under discussion:
1. Professor Mati Heidmets, the Rector of the Pedagogical University of Tallinn, talked about the national pact;
2. Academician Ülo Jaaksoo dealt with data protection and interrelations between internal and national security in our days;
3. The positions of the Academic Council on educational, scientific and cultural matters were presented by Academician Jaak Aaviksoo, the Rector of the University of Tartu.
Opening the next in turn of Academic Council's meetings, the President of the Republic of Estonia, Arnold Rüütel, stressed that the task of resolving the problems ahead of Estonian society required a continuous social dialogue and analysis, in which our own researches and experts participated.
Mati Heidmets briefed the members of the Academic Council on an analysis of options to come to a national pact made by representatives of the commissions operating with the council. The experts having worked in two teams had put forward three models, which could be taken as the basis for elaborating on this issue.
Academician Ülo Jaaksoo unequivocally outlined the problem with the security of information society and factors jeopardizing the latter. On the other hand, the scientist emphasized that the incredibly rapid progress of information technology had dramatically changed our conceptions of security, defence and methods of waging war. The members of the Academic Council supported the idea of the Head of State to treat this issue also at a meeting of the Council of National Defence.
Academician Jaak Aaviksoo highlighted today's development problems of the Estonian education and science. To illustrate our present mind-sets, the Academician indicated that the Estonian state had spent more funds on consultation services while privatising AS Eesti Raudtee (Estonian Railways Ltd) than on the Estonian science in its entirety throughout a year. It was noted jointly that all the problems put forward by Jaak Aaviksoo were substancial and finding solutions to them should be one of the major priorities of our state. This was the reason for the decision on principle, made by the Academic Council, to approve the idea of concluding a national pact, whereas one of its main objects must be education together with its organisation in the Republic of Estonia.
On President Arnold Rüütel's suggestion, a working group was set up to work out the objectives of the national pact and also the principles of its organisational structure. Professor Mati Heidmets was appointed the head of the working group.
Press Service of the Office of the President
Kadriorg, September 6, 2002
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