New inquiry - national strategy for internationalization!

Prince screen from the news on Ekot (2017-02-16).

 

In 2014, SFS released the report “Is teaching in English enough? A review of strategies for the internationalization of higher education. " In the report, we demanded, among other things, the government to prepare a new national strategy for internationalization, the abolition of tuition fees and pedagogical development linked to internationalization. Today, Thursday, February 16, 2017, the good news finally arrived! The government appoints the long-awaited investigation where, among other things, SFS's requirements will be investigated.

It is a benefit for the knowledge society and above all for us students that the Swedish government has taken the problem picture that the sector has pointed out and the basis presented in UKÄ's report seriously. However, we should not take the victory in advance. The investigation is coming, according to the press release, among other things, focus on issues that are of great importance to SFS at the same time as the proposal is precisely issues that are to be investigated. If the inquiry ends up that tuition fees, in some cases, may be abolished, it is still only a proposal that we are many actors to be invited to like. The proposal will also be adopted by the Swedish Parliament. Different parties have different agendas and tuition fees have become a natural financing model of higher education in Sweden, where the redistribution of tax funds to the country's higher education institutions is not the pressing issue regarding study places for fee-paying students. Regardless of what the inquiry lands on the issue of tuition fees, we know that the design of the size of the fees and the possibility of reimbursement of tuition fees to the individual student is a matter of legitimacy where the system today is close to embarrassing. There must be a clearer definition of what “full cost recovery” means and what the higher education institutions may include in the concept and financially demand from the student. In the same spirit, there must be secure repayment systems. Since 2011, Swedish higher education has been a commodity - for some. When trading goods, there tends to be conditions regarding repurchase and right of exchange, that it is missing when it comes to Swedish higher education is unfortunate. We suggest that as long as the fees exist, the conditions for the student must be clear.

Tuition fees also contributed to a shift in rhetoric regarding students. The expressions "the best" and "the most merited" students appeared more and more often without being criticized. Expressions that in their context are completely irrelevant and contradictory.

Irrelevant because all students, regardless of whether they are subject to a fee or not, undergo the same admission process based on eligibility and selection where who qualified higher than anyone else in the selection is not linked to ability to pay in the admission process to basic level. The admission system for master's education looks somewhat different, but it is still not about paying / non-paying. IN UKÄ's report on tuition fees it can be read that the admission of fee-paying students has decreased regarding the admission to doctoral studies, probably not linked to who is the “best” student but rather the conditions for coming to Sweden.

Contradictory in relation to the investments that the higher education institutions make to increase the broadened recruitment to higher education. Are the Swedish students worse, by interpreting the statement? No. Broadened recruitment, broadened participation and everyone's equal opportunity to study is not and should not be linked to where you come from and if you need to pay. That the inquiry should review the possibilities for a stable scholarship phone is therefore welcome!

That the investigation will not be finalized until 31 October 2018 is something positive. In our opinion, it shows the inquiry's weight and need for reflection on issues that cannot be resolved in the blink of an eye. We are already happy to book a first meeting. A meeting where we are happy to discuss our thoughts within the directive, for example:

  • Abolish tuition fees, all higher education must be free of charge

  • A national scholarship fund to promote broadened recruitment is welcome, because even without tuition fees, there are living costs

  • Internationalization of higher education is more than mobility statistics, we therefore welcome the directive's angle to promote internationalization at home

Caroline Sundberg, chairman