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REPORT OF THE EVALUATION COMMISSION EXPERTS EVALUATION OF 4 STUDY PROGRAMS OF THE FACULTY OF LAW OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF LATVIA IN RIGA 8-9 February 2010
Before starting to comment on our visit and audit of the university of Latvia, I wish to remind that one of my most eminent masters, professor of law at the university of Ghent in Belgium, was Professor Niko Gunzburg who was born in Riga in 1882 and taught us matrimonial law in 1951-1952.
Let me on behalf of my two colleagues Viktor Justicki and Aivars Borovkovs, students' observer Dace Grante, and myself, first of all thank the Ministry of Education in Latvia, which invited us to evaluate 4 new study programs in the university of Latvia. I had already the opportunity to audit this prestigious university in 1998.
We are also particularly indebted to Dr. Juris Dzelme, who took care of the organization of our visit and is since many years the quality-watcher of the Ministry of Education.
I must also, on behalf of the Experts' Commission, express our gratitude to the Dean of the Law Faculty, Mrs. Anita Rodina, who accorded us hospitality and did everything she could to help us, together with the other staff members, especially the Program Directors, the colleagues of the Faculty, the Employers, the students and the members of the house personnel.
And, last but not least, we had also an excellent dolmetscher, Mrs. Becere.
1. The visit is due to a particular event, namely the political decision to close the Police
Academy.
The Police Academy was founded in 1991, changed fundamentally its structure and curricula in 1998, the year that I had the privilege to visit the Police Academy for the first time. We came back in 2001, 2006 and 2007, which means that we have a well-informed idea about this very specific institute. Although we could appreciate in the course of year the improvement of the programs, we have always been in doubt about the fact that this academy prepares at the same time young people for a specific profession and for an academic diploma. Is it realistic to educate policemen not only for police-tasks in the broadest sense, but also for specific legal tasks, even for a career as a practising lawyer (barrister, prosecutor, judge ?).
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But suddenly things changed in a radical manner. For purely economic reasons the government helas decided to close the Police Academy and to look for an institute, which could accept to integrate the curricula of the Police Academy into its own curriculum. The university of Latvia was prepared to do the job, which was and is a very difficult job. One must praise the university of Latvia that she accepted this as an expression of civic duty.
Closing a school or an institute in the middle of the year is of course a dramatic event and for the students and for the teachters.
But one can say that, paradoxically, the humanitarian intervention of the university, gave at the same time in our experts' opinion to the hybrid situation of the Police Academy a sound and logic solution.
All this explains why our experts' group came here with a very positive prejudgment vis a vis this peculiar situation.
The visiting team received in advance all the documents needed for our audit. But the Latvian reports were not translated into English.
2. Thanks to the program directors we could analyse and evaluate the four study programs, namely the two academic one and the two professional ones.
General description of academic programme 1. Academic bachelor study program "Legal Science"
Duration of the studies:
1. Full-time studies - 6 semesters^
2. Part-time studies - 8 semesters*
Qualification received:
receiving bachelor of social sciences in Law
Number of students;
i) 2nd year of studies - i 80 students,
2) 3rd year of studies - 216 students,
3) 4th year of studies - 152 students.
Content of the programm (12ft credit points Or t80 ECTS);
1, The Compulsory Part (Part A)
(73 credit points - 109.5 ECTS)
2, The Limited Elective Part (Part B)
(36 credit points - 54 ECTS)
3, The Elective Part (PartC)
(11 credit points - 16.5 ECTS),
Academic staff involved in the implementation of the program;
1, Professors - 10 (all with Dr.iur. scientific degree),
2, Assoc, professors - 3 (all with Dr.iur. scientific degree),
3, Docents -9 (all with Dr.iur. scientific degree),
4, Lectors -22.
Premises tor studies
L Premises of the University of Latvia,
2, Other premises in accordance with agreements.
2. Academic master study program "Legal Science"
Duration of the studies
1. Full-time studies - 4 semesters,
2. Part-time studies - 5 semesters.
Qualification received
receiving master of social sciences in Law
Content of the program (SO credit points or 128 ECTS): h The Compukory Part (Fart A)
(62 credit points or 93 ECTS),
2. The Limited Elective Part (Fart B)
(18 credit points or 27 ECTS).
Part B has specialization directions: Private (Civil) Lawt Criminal Law, Criminalistics and Operational Activities, State Law, Law Theory and History, Police
Law.
Number of students; 2-nd year 32 students
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Academic staff involved in the implementation of the program;
1. Professors - 8 (all with Dr.iur. scientific degree),
2. Assoc, professors - 3 (all with Dr.iur, scientific degree),
3. Dneerits - 2 (all with Dr.iur, scientific degree),
4. Lectors-4,
Premises for studies
1. Premises of the University of Latvia,
2. Other premises in accordance with agreements.
Program director, Driur. Elita MTmaiidc (E-mail: Elita Nimande@luJv)
Description ofjiroferefongl programs
Two professional study programs of the highest education of second level:
1) Program of the highest education of second level in legal science for receiving tiie Qualificatipjiof Jurist (Program I)
7) Program of the highest education of second level For receiving Professional Bachelor degree m Public law and Qualification of Juris! {Program II)
Briefly about the Pnigramli Forms and Duritfiun of Studies:
1) Full-time studies-5 semesters in total,
2) Part-time studies;
a) studies are organized every third end of the week (Thursday-Saturday) 5 semesters in total;
b) studies are o-rgtiized once a semester (w (thin one week) 7 semesters, in total.
Qualification : Jurist
Number of students: 26|d year of studies - 185 students, 3rd year of studies - 106 students
The content of the Program I: 100 credit points (150 ECTS) + 100/8 01 credit points
(studies in colleague). 200/180 credit points in total to get the qualification of Jurist,
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Study program consists of three parts;
1) The Compulsory Part (Fart A) - Si credit points (121,5 ECTS). In ihispart a practice is foreseen (10 credit points in total). Practice has to be tarried out in correspondence with the specialization chosen by the student.
2) The Limited Elective Part (Pan B)- 13 credit points (19,5 ECTS). The content of (his pari is matte following by die specialization chosen by the student: public order police* criminal police, economic police, pretrial investigation, penitentiary work, information analysis, experts-criminalisls, border-guard.
3) Elective Part (Part C) - 6 credit points (9 ECTS).
Listing of the aeadetnic staff involved in the implementation of the Programme I:
9 professors* 3 associate pfofesors, 6 doceiifa (all af them - dr.inr.) and 14 lectors (M.tur.).
Briefly about Pie PrQ^ram^
Forms and Duration of Studies:
1) Part-time Studies^ 11 semesters in total.
Qualification and degree: Professional Bachelor degree in Public law and qualification of Jurist
[Number of students: 6* year of studies™ 146
The content of the Program Hi 180 credit points
Study program consists of three parts:
I) The Compulsory Part {Part A) - 161 credit points (341.5 RCTS). In this part a practice is foreseen (26
credit points in total). Practice Ibas to be carried out in correspondence wjth the special rat inn chosen by the
student.
2)The Limited Elective Part (Pan B) -11 credit points (16,5 ECTS. The content of this part is made
following by the- specialization chosen by the student: public Atlmimstmtfon, pretrial investigation, court
staff.
3) Elective Part (Part C) - 8 credit points (12 ECTS),
Listing oflhe academic s*aff involved in the implement Hi ion of (he Programme lit
9 professors, 2 associate ptofesors, 9 dements (all af them - drJur.) and 21 lectors (M.intv),
Violeta Zeppa-Friedite, Dr.iur.cand.,
study program director
+371 61134552, violeta,zeppa-priedite@hi*Iv
(a) Looking through this double approach (2 bachelors, an academic and a professional ; an academic master and a professional), our evaluation commission has the impression that the strength and the weakness of these programs lay in this double approach. The strength is the integration of an academic and a professional training, but this is at the same time the weakness of these programs, since it is very difficult to prepare young people for a specific professional and for an academic diploma at the same time.
(b) The structure of the professional program is not very clear.
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(c) You took the old denominations, namely jurist and jurist — bachelor, which are in our opinion not very adequate. We think that within tendency towards uniformity in the European Union, the Union will not tolerate any more these very peculiar denominations.
(d) Even the teaching staff had some doubts about the hours dedicated to the different courses, which are probably too limited.
(e) The credits seem reasonable ; the distinction between compulsory, limited elective and elective courses is acceptable.
3. Staff
For each of the four programs there is a good staff: enough professors, associate professors and docents, all of them being Doctor Juris.
4. Physical resources
The four programs are well housed in the premises of the university of Latvia.
The library is very good, since the majority of Russian legal literature has been converted into a mix of German, English, French and of course Latvian handbooks. The library is also open in the weekend. The computer room is well equipped. The auditoria are good, but too small.
5. Employers
We had a meeting with the employers in order to know if the bachelors and masters of these new programs will have the opportunity to find a job on the labor market. The answer was, for acceptable reasons, rather hesitating.
But this meeting was extremely fruitful, because many employers were at the same time alumni (old students) of the Police Academy.
They explained us that there was not a real change in the programs transferred to the university. And they added that, although they had in the Police Academy some specific courses and also more practical knowledge, the insertion in the university gave to their programs a more prestigious qualification.
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But they agreed that the most important result of the transfer was the fact that the students of the Police Academy could continue and get their final diploma.
Our commission stated however that the choice of the employer was rather one-sided, namely representing public authority especially the ministry of the Interior, which stays at the origin of the transfer.
6. Students
We met the students of the Police Academy, who came over to the university of Latvia. Only students of the academic programs came to this meeting, since those of the professional program didn't yet start.
But also the "academic " students started only yesterday, which means that they are not able now to evaluate already the consequences of the transfer.
Generally speaking we might say that they had a very sad feeling when they were informed in July 2009 that the Police Academy has to close its doors. Later on they got the news that the university of Latvia would take over the four programs of the Police Academy, and they wished to stress their gratitude vis a vis the university for this solution.
For all of them it was a chaotic period and today they have a lot of remarks, which find their origin in the difficulties of such a transfer, as f.i. :
- Too small auditoria
- Difficulty for some job students to combine with the hours of the programs.
The deadline for the submission of their suggested paper, since they had no time to look for a reasarch-supervisor. But in the meantime the Dean told our commission that this will be solved.
In order to improve the communication our commission suggests the organization of a students' council for the former students of the Police Academy.
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7. Our evaluation commission had some specific questions :
(a) Is there in the new context any Bench marking abroad ? We were told that there was Glasgow and Lituania, but that the Faculty will look for more bench marking
(b) Is there an "hinterland" specific for the P.A. -students ? We were informed that the faculty will look for new agreements especially in the European Union.
(c) The program directors of these 4 programs are separate from the program direction of the university, and the management of this new study programs is also under a separate leadership.
(d) It is not clear that these programs can or will end in a specific Doctor's program.
(e) Is there not a threat that the Police College could try to develop a program of higher professional legal education ?
(f) How can one certify that those four programs are not terminal, since we don't know if the university will start also in the future a first year ?
Our commission is convinced that the excellent traditional criminal investigation, which was created in Latvia by the P. A., should be continued.
On the side of the university there is not only the fact that the studies will be brought to a good end in 2012, but also that there is a wish to continue this experience in the future.
8. Transitional Legal Education.
Transitional problems can be considered as the most difficult societal problem in the world today: a change of apolitical regime, a change of an educational program are some examples.
In the last case attention must be drawn upon the content of the courses, the qualification of the teachers, the materials provided for the students, etcetera ...
We are particularly interested in the further evolution of these four programs.
But nobody can tell us exactly what will happen. Of course, the students will be able to end their