The rectors and vice-rectors of Tallinn University of Technology and the University of Tartu, as well as the directors of Virumaa and Narva colleges, met with Ida-Virumaa municipal leaders and entrepreneurs for two days in order to contribute to the county's fair transition plan.
On the first day, the leaders of Ida-Virumaa local governments were consulted, Kohtla-Järve Gymnasium was visited and the expectations of the leaders of companies operating in the county were heard.
Meelis Eldermann, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Viru Keemia Group, expressed the hope that the involvement of outstanding lecturers in the local colleges would also arouse greater interest among the students. He certainly did not consider the 150 kilometers that separate Kohtla-Järve from Tallinn to be an insurmountable problem.
Raivo Vasnu, Director General of NPM Silmet, proposed to the heads of the university to add a pedagogy module to the specialties taught at the university. "This way, chemists could also work as chemistry teachers, if necessary," he also explained. The need for teachers, especially science teachers, was emphasized by many participants in the meetings, including local government leaders.
Margus Haidak, the head of department of Higher Education, Vocational Education and Training Policy and Lifelong Learning of the Ministry of Education and Research, and Toomas Murulo, Adviser of the Research and Development Department, also participated in the meetings.
Rectors Tiit Land and Toomas Asser were very pleased with the first day of the meetings, calling the day eye-opening and wide-ranging, and acknowledging that such mutual meetings would also provide a basis for further cooperation.
On Wednesday, university delegations and representatives of the Ministry of Education and Research will meet in Narva on the topic of a fair transition in Ida-Virumaa.