Demonstation against tuition fine
Yesterday (29-11-2010) I demonstrated for the first time. In Groningen it was a completely peaceful demonstration as far as I know. Why did I demonstrate? Read on.
The Dutch government has come up with the idea that students who take even one year longer than 3 years for their BA title should pay an additional 3000€!! next to the normal tuition fee of around 1700€. Oh and as far as I know, that 3000€ fine is stackable for an extra year.
*scroll down if you don't care too much for my ranting but do like students freezing their asses off on the Grote Markt in Groningen.
Oh and if you want to start a MA? Well, no governmental support at all, you'll have to pay for the entire year by yourself. Now I've studied my fair share of years and I'll probably be done before the aforementioned plan takes effect but it pisses me off! I think you should demonstrate because you agree with the demonstrators, not just because something hurts you directly. The thing is, it cóuld've hurt me directly. I wouldn't have been able to pay for uni if they thought of something like this say 3 years back.
There are dozens of really good reasons not to be able to finish your BA in 3 years flat.
1) getting ill (apparently not an issue for the government atm)
2) being handicapped
3) being a member of a board of a study society (like I was) which can easily cost you a year.
4)choosing a study that didn't turn out to be what you thought it was..a pricy mistake!
5) I'll probably forget a couple..so fill in whatever
And then you have to decide to live on a loan for the MA even if you've managed to complete your BA in 3 years flat.
Mind you, the government hasn't let an opportunity go to point out that you:
1) Shouldn't borrow too much money because you'll built up a big debt.
2) Shouldn't work too much on the side because you won't have enough time to study..
...which begs the question how the F people are supposed to get through uni..
Ranting cut short..here are some photo's!
It says: 'Save the (school)banks!'
Loosely translated: 'Wanted: rich parents!'
Our current rector magnificus
I took some shots of the crowd behind me, there were aprox. 1500-2000 students in the freezing cold, it started snowing halfway through (btw, here I found out I had the setting of my cam wrong for the other pics - too lazy to correct):
The Dutch government has come up with the idea that students who take even one year longer than 3 years for their BA title should pay an additional 3000€!! next to the normal tuition fee of around 1700€. Oh and as far as I know, that 3000€ fine is stackable for an extra year.
*scroll down if you don't care too much for my ranting but do like students freezing their asses off on the Grote Markt in Groningen.
Oh and if you want to start a MA? Well, no governmental support at all, you'll have to pay for the entire year by yourself. Now I've studied my fair share of years and I'll probably be done before the aforementioned plan takes effect but it pisses me off! I think you should demonstrate because you agree with the demonstrators, not just because something hurts you directly. The thing is, it cóuld've hurt me directly. I wouldn't have been able to pay for uni if they thought of something like this say 3 years back.
There are dozens of really good reasons not to be able to finish your BA in 3 years flat.
1) getting ill (apparently not an issue for the government atm)
2) being handicapped
3) being a member of a board of a study society (like I was) which can easily cost you a year.
4)choosing a study that didn't turn out to be what you thought it was..a pricy mistake!
5) I'll probably forget a couple..so fill in whatever
And then you have to decide to live on a loan for the MA even if you've managed to complete your BA in 3 years flat.
Mind you, the government hasn't let an opportunity go to point out that you:
1) Shouldn't borrow too much money because you'll built up a big debt.
2) Shouldn't work too much on the side because you won't have enough time to study..
...which begs the question how the F people are supposed to get through uni..
Ranting cut short..here are some photo's!
It says: 'Save the (school)banks!'
Loosely translated: 'Wanted: rich parents!'
Our current rector magnificus
I took some shots of the crowd behind me, there were aprox. 1500-2000 students in the freezing cold, it started snowing halfway through (btw, here I found out I had the setting of my cam wrong for the other pics - too lazy to correct):
Labels: demonstration, groningen, tuition fee, University
posted by Arjan at 10:47 pm
2 Comments:
Are governments trying to put even more space between the economic classes? Only the privaliged will be able to afford college?
Amazing! They seems to always be money available to waste, but never enough to use where it is needed! GREAT post!
I'm afraid so..the thing is compared to the UK or US our tuition fee is quite 'low' but they're sure as hell working up to it and I'll try and prevent it any way I can.
Post a Comment
<< Home