The political student associations have several different solutions for the students’ economical situation.
Should there be political student union elections and could a lower standard of comfort be a solution for housing shortage? The questions fell thick and fast during Lundagård’s breakfast debate in Athens. But the question which became mostly debated among the political student associations was how students should finance their studies.
Where Liberala studenter, Centerstudenter, and Moderata studenter are able to see a solution in the system of student collaborators, the Social Democrats’ student associations, LSSK, have several objections.
“Fulltime studies are supposed to be fulltime studies, and if the studies don’t require a 40 hours’ workload a week, resources should be spent so that the courses can be developed”, said Klara Sandberg from LSSK.
But the system where students should be able to work extra for a slightly lower salary in a field related to their studies also has its advantages, according to Liberala studenter.
“Everybody doesn’t need to study 40 hours a week, even if the workload is as heavy as that. If that’s the case it is important to offer opportunities to work extra, for example through the system of students collaborators or a scraped franchise”, said Hanna Håkansson from Liberala studenter.
“Of course resources need to be spent on developing the quality of the education, but before that, it is a good thing to create an opportunity to work extra at the same time as studying”, said the representative from Moderata studenter, Johanna Grönbäck.
Is a study salary, a complete remuneration for studies, something to strive for? Student salary is something that both Vänsterns ungdomsförbund and VSF advocate and LSSK view as a future goal.
“That is a reasonable remuneration in order for everybody to have equal opportunities to study”, said Jesper Hillbom from VSF.
But Kristdemokratiska studentförbundet has several objections against working towards a solution where the studies are financed with a study salary.
“There are, for example no incentive to finish ones studies with a student salary”, said Jessica Presists.
“But while working towards a future student salary we haven’t yet decided how the final solution will look like, it could be that it will be limited to six years, which is equivalent to the current restrictions of CSN”, answered Klara Strandberg from LSSK.
The environmental students also believe that there are other possibilities of rewarding students. “We believe it is worth aiming at introducing a three-semester system for the students to be able to finish their studies earlier”, said Jannika Badin from Gröna studenter.
“And as moderata studenter say, the education needs to be connected to the labour market, but that is possible to achieve in ways other than the system of student collaborators”.
The next breakfast debate will be held on the 26 of March.
Translation: Mia Söllwander
