At the beginning of the new school year is the perfect time
to work out what is waiting for students and student movements in the field of
higher education.
Nowadays, the European student movement must fight to defend its guiding principles and foundation - namely that higher education is and should be considered a public good and a public responsibility.
The reader who is familiar with the ideas and goals of higher education can be said, "but the principles you speak are common sense and what all governments seek to" I will have to answer that unfortunately this is not so - . And there are indications that the decision-makers who believe in these principles are disappearing.
Nowadays, the European student movement must fight to defend its guiding principles and foundation - namely that higher education is and should be considered a public good and a public responsibility.
The reader who is familiar with the ideas and goals of higher education can be said, "but the principles you speak are common sense and what all governments seek to" I will have to answer that unfortunately this is not so - . And there are indications that the decision-makers who believe in these principles are disappearing.
Problems with funding and support for students
One thing is obvious. Financing of higher education will be an even bigger problem than before. Countries are cutting public funding for higher education - both funds, which are allocated to universities and those given to students.
This automatically means that students will have to bear a greater share of the funding for their education and they will have an even harder time of access and completion.
Therefore, students will have to be the voice of reason, because when decision makers say they want to get their countries out of the crisis and simultaneously reduce funding for higher education, it is as if they want to treat a patient, cut the heart.
The second question concerns the student support that is directly related to access and percentage of graduates.
It seems as if countries really do not want more educated people because they have started to reduce, cut or otherwise make the conditions for current and future students worse.
Students do not believe it was reasonable or practicable to insist that they take on more loans and debts to pay for their education, given that the financial crisis is mainly due to subprime mortgages.
We will continue to fight for higher education, which is public, even if it's at the expense of a tank or submarine - or cow, if we talk about the European Union (EU).
No comments:
Post a Comment