Opportunities for Cooperation between Estonia and ... - Valitsus

envisaged. It would be ideal if a student with a lower university degree taken
in one country could pursue further studies in the other country without any
entry barriers. The Estonian and Finnish education ministries should determine
the possibilities for harmonizing teaching programmes. Creation of joint PhD
programmes should be encouraged and contacts between institutions providing
doctoral training should be intensified.
Useful models for cooperation in education and research is provided by the
twin science city project launched by Helsinki and Tallinn and the Helsinki
Education and Research Area arrangement involving nine universities and
nine polytechnics in the metropolitan area and southern Finland. Naturally,
the institutes of education in other regions in both countries should also be
involved.
In a globalized world, institutes offering higher education should be able
to open their doors to students and scientists from other countries as well.
Universities around the world compete for talent. As a result of falling birth
rates, the number of students in Estonia is expected to decline sharply within a
few years. When approximately 60,000 future university students are currently
studying in senior high schools in Estonia, the number of prospective university
students, i.e., young peopled aged 16 to 18, will have fallen to around 30,000
by 2016.
Although people in Estonia and Finland think that their education systems enjoy
high international appreciation, the number of foreign students and teachers
in the two countries remains modest. For example, in 2006 there were around
5,400 foreign students in Finland while the corresponding figure for Estonia
was less than one thousand. Estonian and Finnish universities and the local
conditions are little, if at all known, in most parts of the world.
Since 2000, universities operating in the Baltic Rim area have engaged in close
cooperation in education and research. It is based on a network named The
Baltic Sea Region University Network and administered by the University of
Turku.
Cross-Border University, a joint project involving several Finnish universities
and managed by the University of Joensuu, offers instruction in English mainly
for Russian students. Estonian universities could participate in these activities
as well.
Estonian and Finnish universities could pool their resources to establish offices
in countries playing a key role in global developments such as China and India.
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