Statement of the rector of CU on the ‘Students write Wikipedia’ project ****************************************************************************************** * Statement of the rector of Charles University on the ‘Students write Wikipedia’ project ****************************************************************************************** The key mission of Charles University is the development and propagation of knowledge and University can find the purpose of its existence laid out in the famous text, dear to the Charles’ deed of foundation, which states that those who “hunger for the fruits of knowled university, find a “table laid out for their pleasure”. The University has utilised approp meet this obligation over the centuries of its existence, and must continue to do so into at a time of unheard-of developments in technologies for the transfer, sharing, searching of knowledge. Every student of not only universities, but also secondary and, more often than not, prima as well as their teachers, knows very well what an important position has been assumed in by Wikipedia in the few years of its existence. The value of this resource, however, is fu dependent on the quality of articles provided by individual contributors. The need for com articles, based on and referring back to primary sources, is a logical area of interest fo students, who must learn how to work systematically and critically with facts in precisely I am therefore very happy that many of my colleagues have become involved in the ‘Students Wikipedia’ [ URL "http://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedie:Studenti_p%C3%AD%C5%A1%C3%AD_Wiki and that they are helping to build a tool for the propagation of knowledge, while at the s developing their own intellectual capacity. Amongst other things, it increases awareness t usefulness, it is necessary to treat Wikipedia (and other similar tools) critically and wi that it is not infallible. This highly appropriate, useful activity has my unequivocal sup like to encourage all those who, in the course of their pedagogical activities or studies, time, contribute to Wikipedia. I would recommend that all pedagogues at the University con involvement in the ‘Students write Wikipedia’ project would not be a suitable way of suppo educational goals. The results of students’ labours should not be hidden away in drawers. The goal of the who community – naturally including all students – is foster the education of society. Wikiped means of achieving this goal. In relation to this I would also like to thank the volunteers from the Wikimedia Česká rep "http://www.wikimedia.cz/"] civic association, who are unstinting in their cooperation wit the Czech Republic.