On 12 December, the Riksdag decided on the state budget framework. However, the budget framework only contains indications of how much money should go to each area, such as the defense or health insurance. Now the Riksdag committee has had time to go through the various parts and make a decision on how money should be distributed in each area. This means not least that we now know what changes are taking place in the budget areas for education and the student financial aid system.
As usual, the budget includes a price and salary recalculation which is based on the business becoming a little more efficient each year. This is a difficult procedure in the long run leads to all higher education being underfunded. This year is no exception. But as I said, it is a slow erosion that will not lead to any drastic change in the educations from this year to next. Here we summarize the changes that the Riksdag has voted through more actively
A major difference from previous years is that the budget bill that forms the basis for expenditure was laid by a transitional government and was therefore relatively stripped down. Many of the initiatives that the Riksdag decided on therefore come from motions from various parliamentary parties. There are some new changes, but many are also adjustments to planned changes that the government has announced but which were not included in the previous budget and which were not included in the bill for technical reasons.
The Swedish Council for Universities and University Colleges will receive a grant increase of SEK 20 million, in order to be able to continue the planned work with the assessment of foreign educations. The higher education will receive an additional SEK 406 million to be able to carry out certain planned expansions and provide some research funding. Furthermore, the Swedish Research Council will receive an additional SEK 60 million and the Swedish Space Agency SEK 15 million. Both changes mean that it is possible to implement extensions announced in the Government's budget bill for 2018. Finally, individual education providers receive a supplement of SEK 8 million for educations in theology, which is the only thing that is completely new in the university area compared to what the previous government has announced. .
The differences for universities and colleges thus seem to be relatively small. The allocation of higher education institutions is largely unchanged, at the same time as the planned expansion in certain areas of education continues. However, some investments in the sector that have been initiated are unfunded, for example UKÄ's work with quality assurance of research. What this means in practice, if assignments are placed in the future or something else is allowed to get in the way, we do not know until the government gives the relevant authorities a regulatory letter with next year's assignment.
As far as the study grant is concerned, it is above all the decision to abolish the study start support that stands out. The study start support is a grant that some can receive to enroll in a high school education, and which according to the Riksdag's proposal must therefore be phased out. Since a high school education is the most common way forward to higher education, the proposal may possibly affect who will ultimately study at the university. But otherwise, groups other than university students are affected by the proposal.
The Riksdag further decides to add some money to the study grant. This is due to the fact that the number of study places will increase, which means that more people will take out student loans. Then the total expenditure for the state increases. For most students, however, nothing is noticeable. Finally, CSN receives an increased grant. The purpose of this is to cover the administrative costs that arise as a result of the study start support being phased out. Other budget changes in the area of study grants are linked to interest rates and other costs that affect authorities but not individual students.
The challenges that we wrote about earlier in the fall thus remains. Students still seem to have to wait for a government to solve the most pressing challenges.