NATIONAL STRATEGIES FOR DIGITIZATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION: A COMPARISON BETWEEN LATVIA AND LITHUANIA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17770/etr2025vol2.8597Keywords:
Digitization, Higher Education, Latvia, Lithuania, Higher Education Strategies.Abstract
Digitization has impacted both countries and shown extensive potential. However, there are differences in both countries in contexts like culture, cognition, tradition, and economic performance among the two countries. The present research has thus developed a comparative scenario of the efforts taken by Latvia and Lithuania to promote and upgrade their higher education sector. This research has covered peer-reviewed data and comparative scenario of the strategic focus of the strategic focus of national strategies implemented for the digitization of Higher Education, the E-learning structure, the rate of digital and other such aspects in Latvia and Lithuania. The research found that in comparing national strategies for the digitization of higher education between Latvia and Lithuania, both countries demonstrate a commitment to advancing digital education but through distinct approaches. While Lithuania has adopted a more centralized, policy-driven strategy with clearly defined goals for digital transformation; Latvia has taken a more decentralized path, allowing individual institutions more autonomy in their digital initiatives. The research highlights that while both Latvia and Lithuania are devoted to digitizing higher education, their strategies differ in focus and execution. Latvia's all-inclusive and well-funded method may lead to instant and broad-based digital incorporation. On the other hand, Lithuania's directed approaches could cause in more comprehensive and need-specific results.
References
N. Germanas and G. Jegermanis, “Strategic commitment and choices for Latvia and Lithuania in the age of disruptionn and great power rivalry,” 2024.
J. Antwi, “What does a comparison between Latvia, Lithuania, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan tell about the cognition and institutions as social capital in the extended market order?,” 2010.
M. Jākobsone, “Latvian - Education Development Guidelines 2021-2027,” 2022. [Online]. Available: https://eprasmes.lv/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Latvijas-Izglitibas-attsitibas-pamatnostadnes-2021-2027.pdf.
L. Daniela and H. Selcuk, “Digitalization Of Higher Education And Response To Covid-19 Pandemic In Latvia,” Human, Technol. Qual. Educ., 2022, doi: 10.22364/htqe.2022.18. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22364/htqe.2022.18
OECD, “Country Digital Education Ecosystems and Governance A Companion to Digital Education Outlook 2023,” 2023. doi: 10.1787/906134d4-en. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1787/906134d4-en
Ministry of Economy and Inovation, “Lithuania - National Digital Decade strategic roadmap,” 2024. [Online]. Available: https://eimin.lrv.lt/media/viesa/saugykla/2024/5/wzspkh-PiZI.pdf.
Times Higher Education, “European Commission: KTU attracts the most research funding in Lithuania,” Times Higher Education, 2024. https://www.timeshighereducation.com/research/kaunas-university-technology/european-commission-ktu-attracts-most-research-funding-lithuania.
A. S. Khalifa, “Strategy: restoring the lost meaning,” J. Strateg. Manag., vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 128–143, Feb. 2020, doi: 10.1108/JSMA-09-2019-0158/FULL/XML. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JSMA-09-2019-0158
B. J. Debicki, E. R. Ramirez-Solis, and L. M. Baños-Monroy, V. I. Gutierrez-Patrón, “The impact of strategic focus on relational capital: A comparative study of family and non-family firms,” J. Bus. Res., vol. 119, pp. 585-598., 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.07.016
M. Habib, “Digital transformation strategy for developing higher education in conflict-affected societies,” Soc. Sci. Humanit. Open, vol. 8, no. 1, p. 100627, Jan. 2023, doi: 10.1016/J.SSAHO.2023.100627. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2023.100627
M. A. Mohamed Hashim, I. Tlemsani, and R. Matthews, “Higher education strategy in digital transformation,” Educ. Inf. Technol., vol. 27, no. 3, pp. 3171–3195, Apr. 2022, doi: 10.1007/S10639-021-10739-1/FIGURES/6. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-021-10739-1
L. Bolt, “Digital development in the Baltic States,” The Baltic Times, Dec. 2023.
LBTU, “Extensive digitalization initiatives have been implemented in higher education,” 2023.
L. Daniela and D. Ivsiņa, “Human, Technologies and Quality of Education - On a Pathway Towards the Digitalisation of Higher Education: The Case of Latvia,” 2022.
A. Krasavina, “Lithuania - National Digital Decade strategic roadmap,” 2024.
L. Zilioniene, “Lithuania’s Digital Transformation Journey: A short story,” 2024.
A. Garad, A. M. Al-Ansi, and I. N. Qamari, “THE ROLE OF E-LEARNING INFRASTRUCTURE AND COGNITIVE COMPETENCE IN DISTANCE LEARNING EFFECTIVENESS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC,” J. Cakrawala Pendidik., vol. 40, no. 1, pp. 81–91, Feb. 2021, doi: 10.21831/cp.v40i1.33474.
A. Garad, A. M. Al-Ansi, and I. N. Qamari, “The role of e-learning infrastructure and cognitive competence in distance learning effectiveness during the covid-19 pandemic,” J. Cakrawala Pendidik., vol. 40, no. 1, 2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21831/cp.v40i1.33474
European Commission, “Strategic Framework,” 2024.
R. Nacheva and A. Jansone, “Multi-layered Higher Education E-Learning Framework,” Balt. J. Mod. Comput., vol. 9, no. 3, 2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22364/bjmc.2021.9.3.08
I. Maslo, “e-Learning for Lifelong Learning in Latvia,” in e-Learning for Lifelong Learning, T. Lee, R. Birzina, J. L. Gervacio, S. Jones, M. Fadzil, L. Abdol Latif, and J. M. Pawlowski, Eds. Korea National Open University Press, 2012.
K. Osis, S. Cakula, A. Kapenieks, and G. Zarifis, “Lifelong Learning Strategy Framework for the Vidzeme Region,” 2015. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2015.12.366
B. Žmuk, F. H. Qureshi, S. Khawaja, B. Žmuk, F. H. Qureshi, and S. Khawaja, “Inequality in E-Learning in European Union Countries: Role of Gender, Education and Urban Development,” Interdiscip. Descr. Complex Syst. INDECS, vol. 21, no. 5, pp. 441–457, Sep. 2023, doi: 10.7906/ indecs.21.5.2. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7906/indecs.21.5.2
A. Targamadzè and G. Cibulskis, “Development of Modern e-Learning Services for Lithuanian Distance Education Network LieDM,” Lect. Notes Comput. Sci. (including Subser. Lect. Notes Artif. Intell. Lect. Notes Bioinformatics), vol. 4226 LNCS, pp. 299–309, 2006, doi: 10.1007/11915355_28. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/11915355_28
European Commission, “Higher education,” 2024. A. Targamadzė and G. Cibulskis, “Development of modern e-learning services for Lithuanian distance education network LieDM,” 2006.
R. Lauzackas, A. Rackauskaite, and D. Jaskauskaite, “Master Study Programmes Orientation and Curricula Inconsistency in Lithuanian Universities,” Qual. High. Educ., vol. 1, 2001. E. Agency, “INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT) FOR INCLUSION,” 2024.
L. Pangrazio, A. L. Godhe, and A. G. L. Ledesma, “What is digital literacy? A comparative review of publications across three language contexts,” E-learning Digit. Media, vol. 17, no. 6, 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/2042753020946291
Charles Sturt University, “Digital Literacies GLO: Why is Digital Literacy important?,” 2024.
European Commission, “Latvia 2024 Digital Decade Country Report,” 2024.
OECD, “Fostering the digital transformation among people, firms and government,” in Going Digital In Latvia, OECD Publishing, 2024.
A. Broks, “Digital illiteracy looming over Latvia: here’s how progressive IT companies can help,” 2021.
Ministry of the Economy and Innovation of the Republic of Lithuania, “EIMIN: an opportunity for digitally excluded people to improve their digital skills,” Vilnius, Lithuania, 2024.
A. Krasavina, “Lithuania: a snapshot of digital skills,” Digital Skills and Jobs Plateform, 2024. https://digital-skills-jobs.europa.eu/en/latest/briefs/lithuania-snapshot-digital-skills.
Latvian Public Media, “Room for improvement of Latvia’s digital skills,” Latvian Public Media, 2024. https://eng.lsm.lv/article/society/education/23.02.2024-room-for-improvement-of-latvias-digital-skills.a544072/.
European Commissionion, “Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) 2022,” European Commissionion, 2022. https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/desi.
Statista, “Share of internet users in Latvia that used online learning material, participated in online courses, or other forms of online learning from 2015 to 2022,” Statista, 2023. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1237132/share-internet-users-learning-material-courses-online-learning-latvia/.
Latvia Public Media, “Around 10% of Latvian adults are learning,” Latvia Public Media, 2023. https://eng.lsm.lv/article/society/education/12.06.2023-around-10-of-latvian-adults-are-learning.a511482/.
A. Higgins, “Paradigms, distance learning, education, and philosophy,” J. Open, Flex. Distance Learn., vol. 24, no. 2, pp. 4–14, 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.61468/jofdl.v24i2.455
J. V. Hasanova, K. A. Najafova, and G. A. Karimova, “Digital Technology Development: Distance Education,” in 2nd International Scientific and Practical Conference “Modern Management Trends and the Digital Economy: from Regional Development to Global Economic Growth”(MTDE 2020), May 2020, pp. 401–404, doi: 10.2991/AEBMR.K.200502.066. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2991/aebmr.k.200502.066
A. Sahoo, “IMPORTANCE OF DISTANCE EDUCATION IN INDIA,” Int. J. Dev. Res., vol. 14, no. 1, 2024.
D. Vasilevska, “Distance Education in Higher Education in Latvia.,” 2012.
P. Devica, “Interest in online schools on the rise in Latvia,” LSM.lv, Nov. 2020.
O. Pozdnyakova and A. Pozdnyakov, “Adult Students’ Problems in the Distance Learning,” Procedia Eng., vol. 178, pp. 243–248, Jan. 2017, doi: 10.1016/J.PROENG.2017.01.105. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2017.01.105
Studyportals, “The Ultimate Guide to Studying in Latvia in 2025,” Studyportals, 2024. .
Studyportals, “Mykolas Romeris University,” Studyportals, 2024. .
V. L. Stéphan, U. Joaquin, K. Soumyajit, and J. Gwénaël, Educational research and innovation measuring innovation in education 2019 what has changed in the classroom?: What has changed in the classroom? OECD Publishing, 2019.
A. Iqbal, F. Latif, F. Marimon, U. F. Sahibzada, and S. Hussain, “From knowledge management to organizational performance: Modelling the mediating role of innovation and intellectual capital in higher education,” J. Enterp. Inf. Manag., vol. 32, no. 1, pp. 36–59, Jan. 2019, doi: 10.1108/JEIM-04-2018-0083/FULL/XML. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JEIM-04-2018-0083
B. Tracey and K. Florian, Educational Research and Innovation Governing Education in a Complex World. OECD Publishing, 2016.
Ministry of Education and Science, “ANALYTICAL REVIEW OF THE LATVIAN SMART SPECIALISATION STRATEGY (RIS3): The progress of Latvian science,” 2023.
Mission Latvia, “Research in Latvia,” 2024.
EU, “Specific Support to Latvia II: Summary article,” 2020.
M. Valuzis, “Overview of promoting technology-based innovations and investments in Lithuania,” Appl. Technol. Innov., vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 47–52, Jan. 2015. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15208/ati.2015.05
G. Kelly and É. Edmondson, “Science and Innovation in Lithuania: Pushing the research boat out,” Science Business Publishing Ltd., Jul. 2014.
E. R. Rabelo-Silva, V. Monteiro Mantovani, L. López Pedraza, P. C. Cardoso, C. Takao Lopes, and T. H. Herdman, “International Collaboration and New Research Evidence on Nanda International Terminology,” Int. J. Nurs. Knowl., vol. 32, no. 2, pp. 103–107, Apr. 2021, doi: 10.1111/2047-3095.12300. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/2047-3095.12300
D. C. Finger et al., “The Importance of International Collaboration to Enhance Education for Environmental Citizenship,” Sustainability, vol. 13, no. 18, 2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su131810326
Brand Lithuania Team, “International Cooperation,” 2024.
OECD, “Tertiary education in Lithuania,” in Education in Lithuania, Paris: OECD Publishing, 2017.
University of Latvia, “International cooperation,” 2024.
European Commission, “Lithuania 2024 Digital Decade Country Report,” European Commission, 2024. https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/factpages/lithuania-2024-digital-decade-country-report.
A. Krasavina, “Expert discussion on the future of digital skills in Latvia,” Digital Skills and Job Platforms, 2023. https://digital-skills-jobs.europa.eu/en/latest/news/expert-discussion-future-digital-skills-latvia.
European Commissionion, “Latvia 2024 Digital Decade Country Report,” European Commissionion, 2024. https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/factpages/latvia-2024-digital-decade-country-report.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Saranya Kanna Baskar, Velga Vēvere
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
