Helene Hellmark Knutsson (S) Minister for Higher Education and Research, we, Sweden's students, have been kind and fought hard this year as well. What we want most as a Christmas present is:

• All of Sweden's students have an education that rests on both a strong pedagogical and scientific foundation.
• There are sufficient financial resources that, through a new allocation system, put students' learning at the center.
• Free of charge for all individuals in our country. Everyone, regardless of nationality, must be able to study at Swedish universities as part of an open and equal university for all.

PS. You are welcome to talk to the other elves in the government and parliament about how important it is that students have the necessary prerequisites, e.g. a home, secure social insurance and good finances. They can also help create a really merry Christmas!

SFS Christmas greeting 2016 

Now that the year is coming to an end, we, like many others, are beginning to reflect on the past year and the experiences it has brought with it. 2016 has been a big year in the world as well as for Sweden's students. We students have been involved when a new quality assurance system has been developed, a new research bill has been presented and an investigation of the resource allocation system has been promised. The conditions and independence of the student unions are investigated, the design of tuition fees is mapped and an admission investigation has been launched. This and much, much more has been engaged and discussed by Sweden's student unions with friends.

As we now look forward to the new year, we are filled with both hope and anticipation. We therefore want to share some wishes we have for the new year.

• All of Sweden's students have an education that rests on a strong pedagogical and scientific foundation. Something that is unfortunately not a matter of course today is that all teachers in higher education must have pedagogical education. A fundamental quality and justice issue for Sweden's students is that all teaching staff must have at least ten weeks of training in pedagogy and receive continuous competence development. It should also pay to develop their pedagogical skills. We therefore want the structures that also reward pedagogy to be clarified and strengthened. It is more than time for the government to initiate a national coordination of pedagogical merit systems, in a similar way as exists for science. On the other hand, we can never be satisfied, but must constantly ensure that the pedagogy develops. Our proposal is therefore that an authority is given the task of coordinating higher education pedagogical issues and promoting pedagogical development at the country's higher education institutions.

• There are sufficient financial resources that, through a new allocation system, put students' learning at the center. The individual's background and conditions should not determine whether he or she achieves the learning objectives. Today, on the other hand, we value performance and throughput higher than actual learning through the country's resource allocation system for higher education. In addition to reforming the system, we also see it as important that the government and the Riksdag genuinely invest in the availability of sufficient resources. This would, for example, enable investments in increased connection between research and education, complete environments and time for learning.

• It must be free of charge for all individuals in our country, regardless of nationality, to study at Swedish higher education institutions as part of an open and equal university for all. In Sweden, we have the great benefit of taking part in free higher education. This is something we should be very proud of. Unfortunately, this strong investment in an equal knowledge society does not apply to everyone. If you come from a country outside the EU, EEA or Switzerland, however, this does not apply to you. Students who belong to nationalities outside our invisible wall of knowledge are subject to a fee. Studying is a human right and in order for everyone - regardless of what is written in our passports - to be able to enjoy this basic right, we need to create an open as well as equal university for all. Therefore, in the first place, all tuition fees need to be abolished, and in the long run other obstacles must also be bridged so that together we can create a strong knowledge society and bring development forward. 

In addition to the wishes that Prime Minister Helene Hellmark Knutsson (S) can fulfill, we have a hope that the government as a whole wants to work to ensure that we students are given good conditions to be able to participate in the country's educations. In the budget bill, we saw a writing that students' opportunities for health insurance should be reviewed and we hope that it will be the government's New Year's promise to us. The lack of a well-functioning social insurance is still expensive for the government as well as for the individual, affected student. We are ready, like the country's sports facilities, to receive you on January 1, 2017 to fulfill your promise!

There is also a continued housing shortage in the country and before the start of the spring term, our hope is that students do not have to camp, but that they have access to a safe home from the beginning and throughout their studies. A home, a home, a security is something that everyone needs - even students. To enable a continued increase in knowledge, we need to live somewhere. Even if more is built, it is built to a rental level that does not fit in our wallets. Construction must continue and rents must be payable. With a low proportion of available housing, a crooked second-hand market and high rents, it will not be easy to put together the puzzle of life. It is high time to increase our study funding from a life on the margins to a life that can be lived with the costs associated with our studies and living.

So, from all of us students, to all of you decision makers, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and an even better continuation.

Caroline Sundberg, President of the Swedish National Union of Students

Charlotta Tjärdahl, Vice President of the Swedish National Union of Students