President Vetoes University Reform Bill
President Toomas Hendrik Ilves has refused to sign the recently-passed bill on higher education reform, citing conflicts with the Constitution.
The bill, which among other changes was to guarantee free higher education to all students, albeit under limited conditions, was approved by Parliament on February 9.
"I respect the work on higher education reform that the Ministry of Education and Research and the Cultural Commission have led. Unfortunately however, an analysis of the law has revealed that some of its provisions are not in conformity with the Constitution," Ilves said in a press release.
Ilves said that the Constitution provides universities guarantees against excessive state intervention, safeguards designed to ensure freedom of research and teaching. The proposed changes to the law, he said, would leave too much power in the hands of the government to set conditions for funding, thereby eroding universities' autonomy.
The president said that Constitution also stipulates that procedures regarding student tuitions, how much students must pay and how much the state will compensate them, must be explicitly set out in law. He believes the bill fails in this regard.
The proposed prohibition against taking exams during academic leave before next January 1, when the tuition-free system comes to force, was a third point that Ilves raised as being unconstitutional.
Ilves, in his statement, said that Parliament should discuss the bill and bring it into line with the Constitution.
Steve Roman