On 3 September, Egils Levits, President of Latvia, met Rūta Muktupāvela, President of the Latvian Rectors’ Council, and Jānis Bernāts, Secretary General of the Latvian Rectors’ Council, at the Riga Castle to discuss the key considerations underlying the approach to higher education reform.
During the meeting, President Levits took notice of the Rectors’ Council’s considerations on the key aspects of the approach to higher education reform currently developed by the Ministry of Education and Science. Both sides agreed that the autonomy of higher education, which drives the quality and competitiveness of universities, is one of crucial elements of the approach.
President of Latvia and representatives of the Latvian Rectors’ Council unanimously concluded that research should be strengthened at the university level. President Levits also underlined the need the ensure that the proposed approach yields a more meaningful and rapid university growth, enabling them to become more competitive and popular among international students.
Meeting also touched upon the legislative impact of the reform, tertiary education governance models, quality of studies, occupational prestige and other reform areas requiring industry consultations.
