Additional costs for internships prevent many students in healthcare programs, among others, from completing their studies. Politicians must look at the educational conditions if we are to be able to solve the skills shortage in welfare, writes chair Matilda Strömberg in a debate article.
Read the debate article here. For SFS, it is of fundamental importance that education should not cost money to the individual. Education in Sweden is free of charge, but that does not necessarily mean that it is free of charge. For example, course literature can entail large costs for many. But even mandatory elements of the education that are included in obtaining a degree, such as work-based education (VFU), can entail high costs. This is often a hidden cost that some are not aware of in advance. In the report, we have mapped what applies at the country's various higher education institutions, and found inequality in how the higher education institutions compensate students within and between higher education institutions. The survey shows that the most common situation is that the student is only partially compensated for expenses in connection with VFU and that more often than not, it is the higher education institution that is responsible for the compensation. Guidelines for compensation were only available in just over half of the higher education institutions surveyed.