Installing seven life-size sculptures of border guards, using 70 kg of pure silver for each statue, is already cheaper for the Latvian state than preparing one border guard with the lowest level of higher education qualification. One 2019 graduate of the State Border Guard College with the lowest higher education degree cost us all more than 240,000 euros.
DB in the February 7 article How much does one graduate of a state university cost us? just the beginning of a review of the results of the monitoring of university graduates started in Latvian universities in 2017, in which I began to analyze the results of state universities, but also the results of private universities in the February 14 issue of DB. Now here’s a follow-up with a look at the educational outcomes of public colleges.
Excerpt from the article
If it is quite easy to compare universities, if only by evaluating the number of graduates, then it is not so easy to compare state colleges and the agencies of state universities corresponding to colleges. There are colleges that prepare only level 1 professional higher education specialists who can perform complex executive work, as well as organize and manage the work of other specialists (https://www.niid.lv/prof_kval), but there are colleges that simultaneously prepare also specialists with vocational secondary education and vocational education.
Therefore, when evaluating state colleges and how much a graduate of one college costs, all graduates should be taken into account, not only those who received the 1st level professional higher education specialist diploma.
If we evaluate the total amount of state budget grants, then in 2021 the undoubted leaders were the State Police College, which from the state budget in 2021 received 5.2 million euros, the State Border Guard College – 4.4 million euros, and the P. Stradiņa Medical College of the University of Latvia – 3.4 million euros. The funding of these state colleges was equal to or even greater than, for example, the total funding of the Vidzeme University, the Latvian Academy of Culture or the Rēzekne Academy of Technology from the state budget (see article DB 7.02.2023 How much does one university graduate cost us?). On the other hand, relatively small state support (less than half a million euros) went to Malnava College, Riga Technical University Olaine College of Mechanics and Technology and Jēkabpils Agribusiness College.
Unlike state universities, tuition fees in state colleges and state university agencies corresponding to colleges do not even make up 10% of the total study expenses. There are only two exceptions – the Liepāja Maritime College, where tuition fees accounted for 49.7% of the total study expenses, and the P. Stradiņa Medical College of the University of Latvia, where the tuition fees made up approximately 15.3% of the total study expenses. When evaluating the number of college graduates, the leaders are the corresponding state agencies for medical-related colleges. In 2019, 278 graduates graduated from the P. Stradiņš College of Medicine of the University of Latvia, 214 graduates from the Riga Medical College of the University of Latvia, 214 graduates from the Red Cross Medical College of Riga Stradiņš University, and the Agency of the University of Latvia Riga 1st Medical College college – 185 graduates. In 2019, 18 graduates graduated from the State Border Guard College.
Now very simple arithmetic. In 2021, the State Border Guard College received a state grant of 4.4 million euros. Let’s divide both of these numbers. Nothing personal! It’s just arithmetic. What is the division result when 4.4 million euros is divided by the number of graduates, which is 18? You won’t believe it! One graduate of the State Border Guard College is almost worth gold! 2023. in February of 2015, one kilogram of silver cost around 610 euros on international exchanges. If we used 70 kg of silver to create a human sculpture, it would cost 42.7 thousand euros. Gold is more expensive. A human sculpture containing 70 kg of pure gold would cost 3.8 million euros. If we divide the state grants for study work received by the State Border Guard College (2021) by the total number of graduates of the State Border Guard College in 2019 – 18 (University monitoring data 2019), then we get an incredible amount. One 2019 graduate of the State Border Guard College with the lowest higher education degree cost us all more than 240 thousand euros.
Read the whole article February 21 in Dienas Bizness magazine!
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