On December 22, the government decided on a budget letter regarding higher education assignments. The higher education institutions (of which the majority are government agencies) and authorities such as the University Chancellor's Office, the Swedish Council for Universities and Higher Education and the Central Student Financial Aid Board are given assignments to implement in 2023. We have collected all relevant appropriation letters for students here..
The policy has two primary ways of governing the authorities, these are (1) through the state budget and (2) with appropriation letters, both of which are decided on annually. The Riksdag decided on the state budget and in the appropriation letters, the operational management of the authorities' activities and the implementation of the government's policy take place. An appropriation letter is thus a steering document and a government decision, it states, among other things, the objectives of the activities, the budget and how funds are to be distributed.
Support for student influence
The state grant for student influence remains at a total of 55 million kronor! Previous budget bills stated that the increase would be temporary, but the appropriation letter states the same amount as the previous year, which is a win for the student unions! My colleague Simon Edström commented on the increase in 2020 in the post 25 million more for student influence.
Assignments to universities and colleges
The general appropriation letter for universities and higher education institutions for the 2023 budget year is extensive. Some of the assignments have been completed and it is logical that they are not extended, a number that have been over a longer period of time remain until the time limit has expired and some new assignments have been added. In addition to the common appropriation letter, each higher education institution has a specific one where certain higher education institutions receive supplementary assignments.
A new but expected task was the work of the higher education institutions to adapt and/or develop the offering for lifelong learning and adaptation. A consequence of the introduction of the transition study support is that higher education institutions need to develop courses to be attractive to this so-called new student group. Developing courses takes time and should be done with thought. It is partly about the education being relevant and responding to student demand and the needs of the labor market and partly about the education having resources, including in the form of teachers, and being relevant to the educational profile of the higher education institution.
Horizon Europe is a research initiative from the European Union for the years 2021-2017, it replaces the Horizon 2020 program and the previous framework programs for research and technological development. The appropriation letter states that the higher education institutions must report which efforts have been deemed relevant and have been taken for participation. Of course, it is important that Swedish higher education institutions are involved and take part in Horizon Europe and spring 2023 will be particularly characterized by this Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Universities and colleges should continue to work with gender mainstreaming. SFS believes that it is good that this assignment remains in place to, among other things, make gender-based study choices visible. Gender mainstreaming will also show whether or what impact gender has on career paths and throughput. It is the higher education institutions themselves that have been involved in influencing the direction of the continued work on gender mainstreaming in the years 2023-2025, which is where the assignment now takes its starting point.
I The Tidal Agreement It was stated that the misuse of residence permits for studies should decrease, and as expected, assignments will now be made to universities and colleges and the Swedish Migration Board. It is of great importance that those who apply for higher education in Sweden do so with the intention of pursuing studies. For those who want to study in Sweden, SFS believes that it should be a simple process to obtain a residence permit - provided that the criteria for studies are met. Unfortunately, it is currently a complicated procedure which is also further complicated by long processing times, which means that some students only receive their permits to come to Sweden after their education has begun. This should not be the case. SFS wishes to continue to contribute to the work and extra efforts that are now being made to reduce the misuse of residence permits for studies.
Responsible Minister Mats Persson announced in the media on December 21 that “the government demands tighter IT security at universities” and the appropriation bill now states the assignment of information security. The higher education institutions must account for how they have worked and how they plan to work to meet future needs.
Assignments included in the appropriation letter for 2022 included reporting information on the number of program starters, the number of full-time students and the number of graduates in the last three years in programs that lead to a number of degrees, including subject teacher degrees, nursing degrees and architecture degrees. In 2016, there was a quality enhancement and another assignment the higher education institutions received in 2022 that does not remain is to “report and analyze how the increased compensation amounts have contributed to higher quality and how funds have contributed to more teacher-led hours within the relevant programs, including teacher education programs”. SFS will also follow up on how the higher education institutions have worked with the assignment for reduced emissions from business travel that was included in the previous year's appropriation letter.
Assignment to the University Chancellor's Office
In the research bill and previous political discussions, it has been stated that UKÄ would thematically review collaboration, the assignment is stated in the appropriation letter for 2023 and it is to be reported at the end of 2024. The thematic evaluation of collaboration is to be done based on the requirement in the Higher Education Act that the task of higher education institutions should include collaborating with the surrounding society and is the only new assignment. UKÄ has 18 ongoing assignments as well as recurring assignments regarding forecasts.
Assignment to the Swedish Council for Universities and Higher Education
The ongoing assignments that UHR has must be completed, and SFS is involved in several of these. Some examples are the assignment to increase quality and throughput in distance education, the assignment to promote joint higher education pedagogical development work between universities and colleges, and the assignment to develop a web portal for student healthcare.