Experts recommend closing 22 Latvian universities after examination

  • 2014-01-15
  • From wire reports, RIGA

Up to 22 institutes and higher education establishments have been recommended to close after scoring poor marks in an international assessment of Latvian institutions.

According to experts, there are fifteen solid and internationally-important scientific institutes and university structural units in Latvia. They have received high marks - five or four on a five-point scale.

A total of 33 scientific institutes and university structural units have received a mark of three. The experts recommend improving their performance, including mergers for the smallest of them.

Another 77 institutes and structural units, which have also received the mark of three, need to merge with stronger institutes or with each other, thus creating larger critical mass necessary for quality development.

In order to improve the situation in the sciences, the Education and Science Ministry is planning to draft a development strategy by April 1, and submit it to the government by July 1.

The assessment was performed by the Education and Science Ministry in collaboration with the Nordic Council of Ministers' Secretariat; the assessment cost 300,000 lats.