We wrote a debate article together with the National Association of Students and the Swedish Student Union, which was published in Göteborgs-Posten on October 3rd with the headline “The government is pitting younger and older students against each other”.
In the article, we argue that the transition study support, i.e. the government's proposal to get more people to study in the middle of life, risks displacing many younger students:
The government investigation estimates that 17,000 new students will apply to universities through the transition support. The investigation's assessment is that the education system "is prepared to handle a volume of transition students that fits within the financial framework that the investigation proposes."
We do not share that assessment. The university is already working at maximum capacity. According to the University Chancellor's Office's latest report, the number of students exceeded the total ceiling for the universities, i.e. the maximum limit for which they can be paid.
GP 3/10
The transition study support is an expensive reform, much more expensive than the government's investigators have made it seem. If the reform is to be implemented, politicians must be prepared to pay what it costs.