400 educational places are at risk at the Faculty of Science.
Photo: LU
The Faculty of Science have overproduced students for several years. The faculty has been paid to educate 1600 full-time equivalent students, but has instead had over 2000 students. To maintain the quality of education, the faculty senior management has proposed that the number of students accepted this autumn should be lowered.
“We have closed some evening- and distance courses but it hasn’t been enough, something more substantial needs to be done”, says Bo-Anders Jönsson, pro-dean with responsibility for education for undergraduates and graduates.
“We get about 120 million Swedish kronor to our faculty but produce education for about another 40 million kronor. We have long struggled to keep our heads over the water and to maintain the quality of the education we must do this” he says.
The problems started for the faculty with the introduction of the Bologna process 2007. A fifth study year was introduced that raised the number of students. Overproduction has been going on since then.
Photo: Jens Hunt.
A Threat Against Safety
Jesper Sjöström Strobel, chairperson of the Student Union for Natural Sciences, thinks that it is reasonable to cut down educational places.
“Too big classes during lab hours could pose a safety threat in for an example chemistry labs. It is not good that teachers are over worked and therefore the number of educational places must be narrowed”, Jesper Sjöström Strobel says.
The faculty senior management’s proposal has been sent to the board of the Faculty of Science. The proposal will be decided on 10 June.
Text: Carl-Johan Kullving
Translation: Lina Johansson
