Better have my money

When I got the news that I would have to redo my fourth year in high school, the thing that most people chose to console me with was the fact that “when you’re older, you will never notice that you had to redo the year. No one will care.” Of course, they had nothing but good intentions, and their words seemed mostly true. Until the next year, when the government announced that they were cutting of finance for students, starting, you guessed it, the exact year that I would start university. Perhaps other people didn’t notice that I had to redo a year, but my bank account sure did.

Thankfully, the government also had some words of consolidation ready. They promised that the money they would save would be invested in better quality of education and that they would pay institutions in advance so that the first batch (read: me) would also profit from these investments. A questionable promise with questionable outcomes. It’s been over three years ago since I started, and all that has changed is the increasing debt in my name.

Student councils

To be honest, I accepted that it would be this way. I can still afford dinner most days, so there are many people who are worse off than me. And so, I made my peace with it. Until the lovely minister of Education, Culture and Science suggested that it was our job as students to demand the money that we deserve, the money that they promised us. How? By joining the student council and discussing these things with the board of the university.

“Don’t try to make this our responsibility. Just say it as it is: it’s not worth your time”

Theoretically, this is a great plan. Wonderful. Except that ever since we have to loan all the money to finance our studies, it seems that students don’t have that much time for extracurricular activities like student councils. What are they so busy with, you ask? With working two days a week and trying to pass all their exams within three years so that they don’t end up with ridiculous debts, and when all that is done, crying into a pillow. Quite a busy schedule. So where will we find the time to also demand the things that were promised to us? If only there was an institution of some sorts where people would get paid to look out for the quality of education so that full-time students don’t have to!

No time

Oh right… That’s you, the minister of Education. I understand that you have other things to do and that you’re getting your money either way, so it’s much easier to just let this go by. After all, it only concerns a relatively small group of students, so why bother? I get that. But just be honest with us. Don’t try to make this our responsibility. Just say it as it is: it’s not worth your time. We’d get angry with you, but honestly, we just don’t have the time for it.