Information Collection on the Situation of VET Teachers and Trainers in Candidate Countries

Currently there are two main categories of teachers in VET schools – VET teachers and teachers of general education subjects. The former status of two different kinds of VET teachers – the professional subject teacher, and the training master has been replaced by one VET teacher category by the Regulation No 18 of the Minister of Culture and Education the Statute of a VET Teacher/Trainer of 26 May 1995.VET teachers have to carry out workshop training and teach professional subjects as well. In 2000/01 academic year, there were 84 VET schools in Estonia – 62 in public (of which 59 administered by the Ministry of Education), 2 in the municipal and 17 in private ownership. The following statistical data covers only the public schools under the administration of the Ministry of Education. Information on the teachers of the remaining VET schools is not available

Economic transition and the decline of agricultural production in Estonia

Agricultural production in Estonia has declined rapidly under economic transition since 1992, causing a number of undesirable social and economic problems. Rural unemployment has increased, so has the incidence of poverty. The country has changed from being a net exporter to a net importer of many major agricultural products over a short period of time. To understand the causes of agricultural decline, this paper uses a policy analysis matrix (PAM) to study the competitiveness and profitability of various agricultural, fishery and forest products for the period 1994-95. The results suggest that much of the loss of production may have been explained by economic reforms that were intended to eradicate market distortions created by the former Soviet system, but government's 'non-interventionist' policy and the rigidity of foreign exchange rate may have aggravated the situation. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Holocaust archaeology: archaeological approaches to landscapes of Nazi genocide and persecution

The landscapes and material remains of the Holocaust survive in various forms as physical reminders of the suffering and persecution of this period in European history. However, whilst clearly defined historical narratives exist, many of the archaeological remnants of these sites remain ill-defined, unrecorded and even, in some cases, unlocated. Such a situation has arisen as a result of a number of political, social, ethical and religious factors which, coupled with the scale of the crimes, has often inhibited systematic search. This thesis will outline how a non-invasive archaeological methodology has been implemented at two case study sites, with such issues at its core, thus allowing them to be addressed in terms of their scientific and historical value, whilst acknowledging their commemorative and religious significance. In doing so, this thesis also demonstrates how a study of the physical remains of the Holocaust can reveal as much about the ever-changing cultural memory of these events as it can the surviving remnants of camps, execution sites and other features associated with this period. By demonstrating the diversity and complexity of Holocaust landscapes, a case is presented for a sub-discipline of Holocaust Archaeology