Finland Finnish Politics Finnish Schools

FINNISH PARLIAMENT LIMITS STUDENT AID TO ONE DEGREE ONLY AND ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE……

Earning a living and extra studies go hand in hand.

There’s a good argument to be made for not allowing any of it, but it’s a step in the right direction.

Parliament supports limiting student aid to one degree

The parliament has voted against the current practice of granting state student aid for multiple third level degrees. If students study for degrees of the same level as already obtained, these studies will not be supported by the state, according to the government’s law proposal.

Opiskelua Taideyliopiston Teatterikorkeakoulussa.
Studying at the University of the Arts. Image: Yle

The parliament voted in favour of discontinuing student aid for a second third level degree, with 95 MPs for the motion and 91 against. An additional degree of the same level as already obtained will not be eligible for student aid, even if the student did not apply for aid for the first degree.

The government calculates that limiting student aid to one degree will bring savings of 10.5 million euros. However, student unions beg to disagree, saying the reform will not result in the desired savings.

“Limiting student aid in the case of a second same level degree is senseless in the current state of the economy and labour market change. The reason for getting a second third level degree is often the poor employment prospects in the field of the first area of education,” said Jari Järvenpää, chair of The National Union of University Students in Finland (SYL).

According to SYL, the new law would make changing fields economically impossible for most students.

More here.

NOTE: It begs the question as to why someone would thrust themselves into a field with little to no prospects of ever being employed in it.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.