Development of Study Process and Human Resources - Main Factors for the Provision of University Education Quality

Education is one of the most important preconditions for cultural and sustainable economic development as well as for raising the standard of living. Quality supplement is a comprehensive notion, which includes politics, processes and activities for the maintenance and development of the university education quality. According to the Lisbon Diploma Recognition Convention, the existence of quality evaluation system for university education in the state and information of other states on its results is an essential condition for the acknowledgement of some state's diploma abroad. The legislation of Latvia determines the quality evaluation of separate university study programmes and university in general once every six years. The evaluation of a study programme involves the analysis of planned contents and its practical implementation as well as planned contents of the faculty of a concrete study programme, its qualifications, and research done in the framework of the programme. The general evaluation of the university is targeted towards material resources of the university - library, computers, premises, catering and social supplement of students as well as organisational building, management and inner democracy of the university. In case of positive assessment, a study programme and particular university are accredited. Accreditation is a process which results in giving the rights to universities to attribute qualifications or to make decisions regarding the recognition of attributed qualifications by a competent institution. The competent institution can be the state itself or a state selected agency. Accreditation of the university in general can take place before the accreditation of its study programmes. Final result of the evaluation is the accreditation of the university. As result of the quality evaluation, universities win the rights to issue diplomas recognized by the state.