Education and Science, Latvia

The RTU rector voiced an opinion that the optimal number of universities would be “seven or eight”, while Muiznieks admitted he was even more skeptical and would recommend leaving only three of four institutions of higher education in Latvia.

Ribickis said that increased government funding would enable universities to hire highly qualified academic staff, which in turn would allow the universities to climb in international rankings. Muiznieks agreed, saying that by the quality/funding ratio, the Latvian universities would rank among the TOP-50 in the world.

Muiznieks added that the University of Latvia’s international ranking could be improved by attracting foreign professors and enhancing the record keeping of publications.

The RTU rector believes that mergers of universities without increasing their funding would not ensure significant quality improvement.