DEBATT, the article was published in Sydsvenskan and Helsingborgs Dagblad 21/1-2021. Read the article at sydsvenskan.se here
When the number of student aid weeks is as limited as it is today, the opportunity to retrain disappears for many. This is what Linn Svärd, vice president of the Swedish National Union of Students, SFS, writes.
Hundreds of thousands of people in Sweden have just started their spring semester studies. Now is a time of anticipation, but many are worried about their finances, especially older students and students with children. Many also risk, because they have previously studied, that their weeks eligible for student aid will end. And everything indicates that this is a group that will increase as working life becomes longer and increasingly changeable.
Today's students are in post-secondary studies entitled to 240 weeks of study funds. This corresponds to approximately six years of full-time studies. Nowadays, undergraduate education at bachelor's and master's level is longer than before. Some education programs are also being extended from this autumn, including the medical program. This means that the opportunities to change education and switch to other studies have become fewer than before, despite the fact that the needs of the labor market are changing rapidly.
The current system for student loans needs to be updated in line with the current state of society and the labor market. The number of weeks eligible for student loans should be extended to correspond to eight years of full-time studies instead of six. The labor market is uncertain. Many have lost their jobs and are considering retraining, while others choose to start studying directly after high school due to a lack of job opportunities. Figures from the Swedish University of Science and Technology, UKÄ, also show that more and more people are applying for higher education. During the 2019/20 academic year, five percent more people studied at higher education institutions than in the previous year.
That more people study and retraining is positive and necessary for Sweden to be able to deal with the challenges society is facing. More people need to train for the shortage professions such as teachers and nurses. But when the number of study aid weeks is as limited as it is today, the opportunity to retrain disappears for many. People are living longer, working at an older age and the labor market is changing rapidly. Therefore, it is not reasonable to work at the same thing all your life.
Many people study in order to get a certain job, but that is not the only purpose of higher education. Education has value in itself for the individual, democracy and society. The opportunity to study promotes both open discussion and the emergence of new and socially important innovations. In a country like Sweden with the goal of being a prominent innovation and research nation, it must be possible to take education and courses that do not directly lead to a job. The current design of the student finance system creates obstacles to this.
Recently announced The government has announced that a new parallel public student aid will be investigated, that is, a new supplementary form of student aid. We do not yet know what the investigation will end up with, but SFS hopes for proposals in line with what we demand. A well-functioning system for student aid is crucial for Sweden to be able to offer equal and open higher education that benefits both society and the individual. The design of student aid needs to ensure that both education and training are valued. Today, the system is short-sighted and outdated. An update is necessary to create a sustainable and innovative society. Enable transition and a longer working life – reform the student aid system now.
Linn Sword, Vice President of the Swedish National Union of Students.