For far too long, Sweden has seen between the fingers when doctoral students have had to endure insecure conditions to keep the number up. The choice between many or secure doctoral students is a political responsibility, as is the financing of the doctoral program. For the Swedish National Union of Students, SFS, it is obvious that society must pay a reasonable amount for the postgraduate education they demand.
In the debate article "Dramatic reduction of new doctoral students in Sweden" trivialize the article authors Forslid and Häckner doctoral students' insecurity. Among other things, by saying that the situation is good from an international perspective and that it exists possibility to give fellows good conditions. Unfortunately, this is not the same as the fact that they actually have socio-economic security, wage development and opportunities for merit. In addition, the difference between externally funded scholarships and external research funds seems to have passed the debaters by. Today's scholarship system undermines legal certainty in admission and the possibility of a responsible personnel policy.
That doctoral students should have secure employment conditions should be a matter of course. But not only with the justification that the quality of research is improved, but for human justice reasons. That the conditions for good research are improved on the purchase is of course positive.
The research career inquiry is cautious with long-term proposals that affect the most insecure. The proposals have little effect on the number of doctoral students and give politicians plenty of time to find funds to strengthen doctoral education. Both the size of the research grants and the distribution of research funds between doctoral students and other employees are choices - not something given by nature.
For SFS, it is never justifiable to sacrifice the security of research students in order to increase scientific production. Society must pay the price for its doctoral students in order for Sweden to be at the forefront of research. "No one is suing for those who in the future are excluded from the doctoral program," claim Forslid and Häckner. But we who represent both current and future doctoral students choose to take the problems seriously.