Student factions on scrapping long-term student fine: ‘Feels like a cigar out of its own box’
Student factions SAM and Front are relieved to hear the news that the long-term student fine is off the table. That gives a lot of relief for the upcoming groups of students. But the parties are downright disappointed about the cuts in education and research.
The hated long-term student fine will be scrapped after all. For a long time, Minister Bruins of Education (NSC) stood firm and did not want to go back on the 2 billion euro austerity plans from the beginning of this year. But the opposition threatened to obstruct the Senate if the cabinet did not compromise. Just before the Christmas recess, there is a new agreement that can count on support in both houses of parliament.
“This is a relief for students at Tilburg University who are delayed in their studies due to private circumstances, illness, or personal development. They are no longer financially punished,’ responds SAM chairman Max Remmerswaal.
Not just learning from books
Student faction Front also reacts positively: ‘Now that this measure has been scrapped, students can finally breathe a sigh of relief again. They get the chance to continue their studies with less stress, which also gives them more room for personal development,’ says party leader Thijl van der Rijken.
‘After all, studying is not just about learning from books,’ says Van der Rijken. ‘It’s also about developing yourself through extracurricular activities. Think, for example, of foster care, a board year, top sport or volunteer work. It is precisely these experiences that contribute to the greatest personal growth of students.’
Quality of education under pressure
‘But it remains worrying that academic education as a whole remains under pressure,’ Remmerswaal continues. Because although a number of cuts will be reversed, of which the long-term student fine is the most important measure for students, academic education and research will not be spared in the new plans.
The starter grants for young university lecturers will be almost completely stripped down. And there are also substantial savings on internationalisation.
Remmerswaal: ‘The agreement between the coalition and the opposition feels like a cigar out of its own box. The education budget that was first assessed as substandard with a 2 and now gets a 4 does not suddenly become a good budget. The planned cuts in academic education will also have consequences for Tilburg University for the quality of education, student well-being, research, and innovation.’
Van der Rijken: ‘There are still significant cuts in innovation and research, which is very worrying. The scrapping of 1.2 billion euros in the education budget has far-reaching consequences, not only for the accessibility of higher education, but also for its quality.’
New protest?
‘It is essential that solutions are found quickly to counteract the decline in the quality of education,’ warns Van der Rijken of Front. What those solutions will look like is the question and what the students’ next steps will be.
‘Student Party SAM is affiliated with the Tilburg student union F.U.S.T.,’ Remmerswaal says. ‘When a new student protest is organized against the cuts in academic education, Student Party SAM joins.’
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