Students who borrow heavily through the Bafög system cannot expect more compensation than promised. The ruling parties are unwilling to spend more than the 1 billion euros provided by the cabinet for this purpose. Today, the House of Representatives is discussing the abolition of the credit system and the reintroduction of the basic subsidy.
Students who borrowed money for their education under the credit system accumulated an average of 27,000 euros in debt. You will now receive an expenditure allowance of approximately 1,400 euros from the cabinet. First of all, the left parties in the House of Representatives consider this a “tip”.
However, the ruling party CDA made it clear in the discussion that the results of the Bafög system cannot be fully corrected retrospectively. MP René Peters reiterated that his party had always viewed the feudal system as a “bad liberal plan” and opposed it.
Comparison with AOW
Peters is pleased that this error is being reversed, but this does not mean that students who fall under the “unlucky generation” can now be fully compensated. Bad luck is out of the question, because removing core funding in 2015 was a conscious political decision.
Peters made a comparison with the introduction of the state pension by Prime Minister Drees in the 1950s. No compensation was paid retroactively to persons who were 65 years of age or older.
“And soon we will have free childcare. Right now parents are paying blue money for it. We probably won’t compensate them either,” said Peters. The 1,400 euro students currently receive is clearly a spending allowance. “Substantial money but no compensation.”
Broad approval of core funding
According to Minister Dijkgraaf’s (Education) plans, most students can reapply for a basic scholarship of 274.90 euros (away from home) and 110.30 euros (at home) from the next academic year. Due to inflation, the quota of students living abroad will increase temporarily.
Those who graduate within 10 years do not have to repay the basic scholarship. A subsidy will also be provided for students with low-income parents. The reintroduction of the basic scholarship can count on broad support in the House of Representatives.
Source: NOS
Emma Fitzgerald is an accomplished political journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in political science and international relations, she has a deep understanding of the political landscape and the forces that shape it.
