DEBATE, the article was published in Arbetsvärlden 5 / 11-2020. Read the article on arbeidvarlden.se here
Today, almost every second student between the ages of 18 and 29 experiences mental illness. For professionals of the same age, this is one third. The fact that students feel so much worse than professionals indicates a system error that can and should be remedied. Efforts are needed for those who are already ill or feeling unwell, but we must also work on prevention. Students should not get sick from their study situation.
At the end of the year, the government is expected to present the new work environment strategy, which will apply until 2024. The previous work environment strategy from 2016 does not include students' work environment. The Government now has the chance to raise the level of ambition: state in the work environment strategy that the students' work environment needs to be prioritized and that the Swedish Work Environment Authority needs to provide better support to our universities and colleges. It is necessary to make students' work environment visible as a special problem that requires specific efforts.
We want all universities and colleges to be commissioned to report back on how they work with the students' work environment.
In order for the work to have an impact in practice, Matilda Ernkrans, Minister for Higher Education and Research, also needs better tools to be able to follow the issue. We want all universities and colleges to be commissioned to report back on how they work with the students' work environment in order to then be able to demand improvements from the higher education institutions that do not do enough.
The fact that students feel bad can have consequences long after their studies. Some drop out of education, which is a loss for a labor market that cries out for the right skills. Others have had elevated stress levels for several years, which means that they risk not being able to cope when they go into working life. Instead, mental illness continues to worsen and becomes a task for employers to deal with, despite the fact that the cause came earlier.
It can also be about factors such as sexual harassment or abusive discrimination.
There are several factors that can explain students' mental illness and the causes differ between different educations. For some students, it is a matter of the requirements being unclear or the workload being unreasonably high during parts of the semester. For others, it is due to fierce competition between students in combination with a lack of support from teachers. It can also be about factors such as sexual harassment or abusive discrimination. All of these factors are known psychosocial risk factors.
It is possible to minimize the large and common risk factors in the students' work environment. Often it is about simple things like not taking several exams in the same week. It is also important to make clear how much time the student is expected to spend on an assignment and what they are expected to achieve for results.
Despite the fact that universities and colleges today are obliged to work systematically to improve the psychosocial work environment, work is not a priority. At the central level, it is unclear what is to be done and for individual teachers there is neither time nor resources to develop the students' work environment. There are no improvements and the problem remains. Therefore, a proper follow-up of the work by the government or the Swedish Work Environment Authority is required.
400 people participate in higher education every year. That almost half of them should feel bad during their studies, may not be able to graduate in time and risk becoming ill when they enter working life is not acceptable. A change is needed for now. Include students in the work environment strategy and set higher requirements for follow-up from the higher education institutions. A good and sustainable work environment for students is a benefit for both the individual student and the whole society.
Linn Svärd, Vice Chairman, SFS