After three years living by the ‘lower or the same’ principle, the University board makes a sudden change. The economic support to the unions will now be greatly increased.
The support for the unions, which has existed since the abolishment of compulsory students’ union membership, has been ever decreasing since its introduction. At first, a sum of 310 SEK for every student or doctoral candidate was paid out, today the amount is only 175 SEK. The plan for next year was to lower the support from the University even further, from 75 SEK to 50.
But according to the documents for the University board’s meeting, which took place at Örenes slott during Friday and Saturday the 14th-15th of June, there is now a complete turnaround from the old plan. Already from the first of July this year the economic support will be increased by 66 percent, to 125 SEK per student.
During the first three years of the economic support, it has often been said that the support should only be there for a “transitional period” and that the amount will not be increased – if not lowered. It has often been repeated that the students’ unions, in the long run, should manage without support from the University, at least purely economically. It is now the first time since the system’s introduction in 2010 that the University is thought to go the other way on the matter.
In total, the unions’ support for 2014, after the increase, will cost 6,66 million SEK. According to the proposal, 2,9 million SEK, approximately 100 SEK per full-time student will be paid by the state via Kammarkollegiet.
At the same time, the University will add 3,766,000 SEK from direct government funding for education that each student brings to the seat of learning. Saturday’s proposal, however, only covers the increase for the second half of 2013, in total 753,000 SEK.
Translation: Rasmus Edlund
Text: Tor Gasslander
Editors comments: The article was written before the meeting.
