The General Assembly of the Lithuanian Colleges Directors’ Conference (LKDK) took place at SMK Higher Education Institution, where the most important topics concerning the college sector were discussed – from education policy and research evaluation to funding, quality assurance, and LKDK’s strategic decisions for the upcoming year.
The event was attended by directors and/or their deputies from nearly all Lithuanian colleges. The discussions were enriched by distinguished guests: Minister of Education, Science and Sport Raminta Popovienė; Vice-Minister overseeing higher education Dr Regina Valutytė; the President’s Advisor on Education Saulius Olencevičius; Director of the Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher Education (SKVC) Dr Zinaida Manžuch; representatives of the Research Council of Lithuania (LMT), SKVC, and the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport (ŠMSM); as well as the President of the Lithuanian National Union of Students (LSS) Ieva Vengrovskaja together with her colleague Mantas Gutauskas.
During the meeting, the Minister and Vice-Minister of ŠMSM presented the portion of the national budget allocated to higher education and discussed key funding and operational issues. The President’s Advisor, Saulius Olencevičius, introduced the reform initiatives on admissions to higher education institutions proposed by the Office of the President.
Representatives of LMT presented the results of the expert and formal evaluations of colleges’ R&D (MTEP) activities. The expert evaluation revealed positive results – within a relatively short period, colleges have achieved significant progress in the field of research and experimental development. The discussion also addressed potential changes to the formal R&D evaluation system, aiming to ensure more sustainable funding more closely linked to both the basic and incentive-based components.
Director of SKVC Dr Zinaida Manžuch introduced the planned changes to the institutional evaluation model, while the Lithuanian National Union of Students (LSS) shared its goals related to membership and strengthening student self-governance within colleges.
During the event, the LKDK strategy was approved, along with the membership fee and budget for the upcoming year. LKDK committees presented summaries of their activities, highlighting completed work and future plans.
The next meeting of the Lithuanian Colleges Directors’ Conference is scheduled for March 13, 2026, at Utena College.
We thank all members of the college community for their active participation and contributions to the discussions.
