SFS chairman Jacob Färnert writes a debate article in Aftonbladet about recovery for students and the importance of taking responsibility for students' work environment in higher education.
Students also do not have holidays, vacations or other longer periods of leave. In younger school systems, there is summer break, Christmas break, etc. In the labor market, employees have a statutory right to daily rest, weekly rest and vacation. Words that have hardly any meaning for students.
The “Christmas break” is usually spent studying for exams, because the fall semester ends in January. The “summer break” usually means summer jobs.
We want to change this. Students need recovery just like other groups in society. We therefore believe that several actors should take action:
Read the full article at Aftonbladet.se.
- Universities should have guidelines for student recovery. Although programs may have different requirements and needs at the same university, it is important that there are overall guidelines so that all students and teachers know what applies. Studying all weekend should not be the norm.
- The Swedish Work Environment Authority should guide education providers on issues of recovery and working hours. Since students are neither covered by the Working Hours Act nor the regulations on organizational and social work environment, the overall requirements are very vague. Clarify how higher education institutions can take responsibility and plan for recovery in practice.
- The government should take the initiative to modernize the study grant and enable some time off. It should be possible to receive study grants for two weeks over Christmas and New Year even if studies are not being “actively” pursued. A special loan should also be introduced to cover the summer months for students who cannot work.