Today we are writing to the Althingi about the far-reaching underfunding of higher education. A few weeks ago, the think tank Timbro released the report “The Cost of Knowledge” in which they propose tuition fees. SFS absolutely does not want to see tuition fees, but in our article we would instead like to focus on why the issue is being raised. The fact is that year after year, education funding per student has decreased, which of course affects the quality of education. We should not have to choose between tuition fees and underfunded education. All education should be of high quality. Read an excerpt below and the article in its entirety here.
Timbro's proposal to introduce tuition fees is an expected consequence of a far-reaching underfunding. If the state is not prepared to pay for a good education, someone else will have to pay, for example the students themselves.
If we are asked to choose between tuition fees or an underfunded education, the clear answer must be: Neither or. In Sweden, the public sector should fully finance education.
The government must therefore restore the cuts of recent decades. It is not only the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Higher Education who must tighten up. The responsibility lies with the entire Social Democratic Party. All education must maintain high quality.
SFS in the Althingi 10/6