Support for meeting the requirements set for EQAR agency

After the project implementation, the Latvian Higher Education Quality Assurance System will function pursuant to the requirements of the ESG (European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance), the agency will be a member of the EQAR, which will increase trust in Latvian higher education and diplomas obtained in Latvia.

In the long term a high-quality higher education assessment system will ensure competitive education in the European higher education area and training of skilled, highly qualified specialists for the labour market

Total funding of the Project 1 500 000,00 EUR, including 1 275 000,00 EUR ESF financing and 225 000,00 EUR National public financing

The main activities of the project

• The development of the strategy of the Agency and improvement of the quality management system;
• The implementation of the pilot accreditation in 12 institutions of higher education;
• The external expertise of the Accreditation Agency;
• The development of the e-platform for the accreditation process and monitoring of higher education quality;
• Trainings and seminars on the issues related to external and internal quality assurance;
• Membership in European associations and other international organizations in the field of quality assurance in higher education.

Project partners

• Council of Higher Education
• Lithuanian Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher Education
• BA School of Business and Finance
• Baltic International Academy
• Daugavpils University
• Liepaja University
• University of Latvia
• Mechanics and Technology College of Olaine
• Riga Aeronautical Institute
• Riga Building College
• Rīga Stradiņš University
• Riga Technical University
• Ventspils University 
• Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences

Project progress

• 06.05.2016. Riga Stradiņš University (RSU) has entered into a cooperation agreement with the foundation Academic Information Center (AIC) on a pilot accreditation for the study direction Health Care, which corresponds to 33 study programmes
• 01.06.2016. an agreement has been signed between AIC and RSU on the progress of pilot accreditation, in which RSU was required to submit the documentation prepared for pilot accreditation up to 07.11.2016.
• 01.10.2016. characteristics of all 30 study programmes and description of the study direction Health Care has been prepared and coordinated by the study quality councils
• 18.10.2016. characteristics of the study direction Health Care has been approved by RSU Senate
• 07.11.2016. Description of the study direction Health Care has been submitted to the Centre for Academic Education
• 20.–24.02.2017. expert visit to RSU and meeting with RSU management, deans, study programme managers, lecturers, students, graduates, employers and representatives of professional organizations, as well as visits from various departments, including the Liepaja branch and the RSU study and science clinical base of the Daugavpils Regional Hospital
• At the end of their visit, on 24.02.2017, the experts presented the initial report
• The decision on the accreditation of the programmes adopted by the Study Accreditation Commission is expected in May 2017
• On April 11, 2017 RSU received a joint opinion of the evaluation committee on the study direction
• On May 8, 2017, at the meeting of AIC Accreditation Commission the decision has been made on accreditation of the study programme Health Care and its study programmes for the longest possible term, i.e. six years

Information from AIC / HEQA

• Within the framework of the project, 12 project partners have prepared and submitted the study programme characteristics to the Higher Education Quality Agency (HEQA) of the Academic Information Centre (AIC) for one study direction in their higher education institution in accordance with Appendix 7 to Cabinet Regulation No. 407 on Accreditation of Higher Education Institutions, Colleges and Study Directions
• Together with the cooperation partners, characteristics of 12 study directions for 95 study programmes have been received
• HEQA assesses self-assessment reports in accordance with Annex 7 and criteria specified in Annex 9 of Cabinet Regulation No. 407 and prepares suitability assessments of the application
• In December 2016, at the seminar Study Direction Assessment Visits 12 cooperation partners were acquainted with the schedule of pilot accreditation, the responsible coordinators, the number of days of the visit, the stages of the assessment visit and the process thereto
• Riga Stradiņš University has submitted a characteristic of the study direction Health Care, which includes (30) study programmes. Study direction accreditation visits were carried out in February 2017
• On May 8, 2017, at the meeting of AIC Accreditation Commission, a decision was adopted on accreditation of the study direction Health Care and its constituent programmes for six years