From 19 to 20 February 2026, the Agency for Science and Higher Education (ASHE) hosted representatives of the Latvian higher education quality assurance agency The Quality Agency for Higher Education (AIKA), led by its Director, Dr. Jolanta Silka.
The visit focused on the exchange of experiences in the field of institutional accreditation, with particular emphasis on the development of methodologies and guidelines, as well as the implementation of cyclical institutional accreditation. It represents a continuation of the long-standing cooperation between AIKA and ASHE.
The aim of the visit was to learn more about the experiences of ASHE as an agency registered in the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education, operating within a higher education system similar to the Latvian one, and to explore possibilities for applying certain solutions in the development of a cyclical institutional accreditation model in Latvia.
On the first day of the visit, the participants were introduced to the ASHE and to the development of the accreditation system in Croatia, from its beginnings to current practice. Participants were then given a detailed overview of the general methodology and guidelines for conducting institutional accreditation, including the individual steps involved in the evaluation procedure.
Special emphasis was placed on the importance of reliable data in the external evaluation process. ASHE staff presented the data sources and electronic tools used by the Agency to manage evaluation procedures, as well as the decision-making process and the activities carried out following the completion of institutional accreditation procedures.
