LU konferencehttps://doi.org/10.22364/htqe.2026.08 | 128-151 | PDF
Part-Time Studies as a Solution for Equal Educational Access in Latvia (1991–2004): A Historical Perspective on Distance Education Policy
Agnese Gromova-Ķūrena1, Ieva Margeviča-Grinberga1
1 University of Latvia
Abstract
This study analyses the role of part-time studies in ensuring educational accessibility in Latvia after the restoration of independence, interpreting this form of education as an early approach to expanding equal educational opportunities during the post-socialist and institutional transformation period. The study forms part of a broader doctoral research project examining quality criteria for the blended learning approach in distance education at the basic education level in Latvia, focusing on the balance between educational accessibility and educational quality within contemporary education policy.
The theoretical framework is grounded in concepts of educational accessibility, inclusive education and lifelong learning, viewing non-traditional study forms organised outside full-time face-to-face schooling as mechanisms for engaging diverse learner groups in education. The aim of the study is to examine how part-time studies functioned as an instrument of educational accessibility in Latvia between 1991 and 2004 and how this form of education was interpreted within public and regulatory discourse.
The research is designed as a qualitative historical source analysis based on a systematically compiled corpus of press publications from the digital archive periodika.lv, complemented by an analysis of education-related legislative and policy documents. Sources were structured into thematic categories to examine institutional practices, public attitudes, and policy initiatives related to part-time education.
The findings indicate that part-time studies expanded access to education for working learners, individuals living in remote regions, students with special educational needs, and other social groups for whom full-time education was less accessible. At the same time, historical sources reveal a persistent tension between the expansion of educational access and concerns related to quality and academic prestige. The historical analysis provides a basis for interpreting contemporary debates on restricting distance education as part of a historically recurring educational policy dilemma between accessibility and quality, rather than as an entirely new educational challenge.
Keywords: distance education, distance learning, education policy, educational accessibility, history of education in Latvia, lifelong learning, part-time studies, post-socialist education
OpenAI ChatGPT and Google NotebookLM were used to support English-language editing, stylistic revision, selected structural improvements, and checks of the manuscript’s internal consistency. The tools were not used for source selection, coding, or generating research findings. All suggestions were critically reviewed by the authors, who take full responsibility for the final manuscript.
In: Human, Technologies and Quality of Education, 2026. Proceedings of Scientific Papers = Cilvēks, tehnoloģijas un izglītības kvalitāte, 2026. Rakstu krājums. Ed. L. Daniela. Riga: University of Latvia, 2026. 236 p.
ISBN 978-9934-36-685-7
https://doi.org/10.22364/htqe.2026