Recent developments in higher education governance in Latvia

1
Recent developments in higher education
governance in Latvia

• Anatolijs Melnis
• Deputy director
• Department of Higher Education
• Ministry of Education and Science

2
Governance

• External governance
• Internal (Institutional) governance
• Funding
• Private higher education
• Academic Staff

3
External governance
4
External governance rules of operation

• Law on Education (1991, 1998)
• Law on Higher Education Establishments (HEE
  (1995 amendments several times)
• New Law on Higher Education (in 2nd reading in
  Parliament)
• Constitutions of state HEI approved in high
  level in Parliament
• Law on Professional Education (1999)
• Law on General Education (1999)
• Law on Scientific Activity (1992, 2005)

5
External governance

• Increased autonomy
• Since 2005 all state HEI (with exception of
  Academy of Police and Academy of Defense ) have
  new legal status of legal body, like
  municipalities
• Possibility to earn the state real estate

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Institutions of Higher Education (HEI)

• Universities 6
• Academies 9
• Other HEE 19
• Colleges 26
• TOTAL 60
• Public (state) HEI 37 (19 18)
• Private HEI 23 (15 8)

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Internal governance
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Number of students in Latvia in 1990 - 2008
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Number of students per 10000 residents in 1990 -
2008
10
Number of Students, 2008/2009(total number 125
350)
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Share of students in state budget funded and
commercial studies
12
Financing system of HE (1)

• Formula-based system for universities was
  introduced in 2002, for colleges in 2007
• Funding is allocated on the basis of the
  contracts between HEI and ministries which are
  responsible for HEI
• Since 1 January 2009 autonomy also in
  budgeting
• State funding in a lump sum grant
• Freedom to allocate and use the self-income funds
  (also tution fees)

13
Financing system of HE (2)

• According to the Law of HEE
• State budget funded study places (only for full
  time studies)
• Commercial study places (fees)
• no state restrictions in the number of
  fee-students
• no state restrictions for the level of fees
• Financing of the scientific activity (mainly,
  competition based)

14
Total funding for HE in 1995 2008(million Ls)
15
Expenditure of tertiary education from the state
budget as a percentage of GDP
16
Financing of HE from the state budget and other
sources 1995 - 2008
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Private higher education institutions

• The functional (not institutional) supervision by
  the Ministry of education
• May receive the state funding under certain
  conditions
• Equal regulations for the licencing and
  accreditation
• Not equal regulations about the study language
• New LoHE will provide more equal regulation for
  both, the state and private HEI

18
Academic staff

• Full autonomy in reqruiting of academic staff (in
  the new LoHE open competition for professors
  and assoc. professors)
• Autonomy in defining the system of payment (the
  LoHEE defines the minimum salaries for academic
  staff)

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• Thank you for your attention!