– It’s still going, but I have to honestly admit that I’m starting to use up my student aid, and we’re only at the beginning of April. – It’s a sick feeling in your stomach that you don’t quite know how it will go, Maria Augusta Førner (19) tells news. She is now in her second year of a bachelor’s degree in international studies at the University of Leiden, the Netherlands. For her, it was important to study abroad. – I’m taking a degree that focuses on Europe as a region, and I’m learning languages that are used in the context of the EU. I gain knowledge that is important for Norway, which I want to take home with me, says Førner, who was recently elected head of ANSA Benelux. Maria Augusta Førner on a bike tour in the student town of Leiden in the Netherlands. Photo: Privat However, with high price growth and a weak krone exchange rate, it is difficult for Norwegian students abroad to make ends meet. The money they receive from Lånekassen does not extend as far as before. The graph below shows that both the euro and the US dollar have become increasingly expensive. The 19-year-old student has known that himself in his wallet. – You have to prioritize very carefully what you spend money on. You have to be very careful, and keep a close eye on the krone exchange rate when you transfer money to the local account, says Førner. – A very large contrast is created between those who can lean on their parents, and those who cannot, she adds. She herself receives some support from home to cover journeys home. – But it is easier said than done to expect that you will ask for support from home. It’s not something I want to ask. But I’m a little afraid that I’ll have to ask for help towards the end of the semester to get it going, says Førner. Maria Augusta Førner believes it is important to make arrangements for Norwegian students to be able to continue studying abroad. Photo: Privat LO will provide study support in euros The School Confederation in the employee organization LO believes that measures must be taken to ensure a more predictable economy for Norwegian students abroad. – The student aid should be given in euros. That way you make it more predictable, says union secretary Geir Allan Stava in the National Association of Schools. He points out that the weak krone exchange rate means that current student support is no longer sufficient. – If you switch to calculating and paying out the student aid in euros, then we will avoid many of these currency problems, believes Stava. Federal secretary Geir Allan Stava in the National Association of Schools believes that the student aid should be given in euros. Photo: RUNAR NØRSTAD / The National Association of Schools At the same time, the Norwegian Confederation of Norwegian Schools wants to increase student support significantly, and link it to the EU’s poverty line, which is currently around NOK 251,000. The student organization ANSA has also previously proposed this. – Does that sound very expensive for the state? – We can afford this! It is clear that the expenses for the state will vary, but it cannot be a big problem. The oil price is in dollars, and we live well with that uncertainty, he emphasizes. Stava also believes that the proposal to use euros will lead to less bureaucracy, not more. – Hugely exciting proposal Anna Handal Hellesnes is president of the student organization ANSA. She believes that far more should be invested in the students. – That is why it is fantastic to hear that the National Association of Schools agrees with us that the student aid must be increased to the EU’s poverty line, she says. Anna Handal Hellesnes, president of the student organization ANSA, is open to taking a closer look at LO’s “euro proposal”. Photo: ANSA Hellesnes has not itself proposed to replace the krone, but is open to the proposal. – It is a very exciting proposal to pay out the study support to the foreign students in a currency such as the euro, and we are looking forward to looking more at the details of the proposal. She believes the most important thing is to ensure that international students are not as vulnerable to economic fluctuations as they are today. Maria Augusta Førner thinks it is a good proposal to give the student aid in euros. Photo: Private student Maria Augusta Førner is also enthusiastic about the LO proposal. – I think it could have been a great help to have the student aid paid in euros. Then we could spend less money on transfers and lose less money on the exchange rate, she says. – Anyone who has studied abroad knows how valuable it is. We are so grateful for the opportunity to do that – and we would very much like to continue to have that opportunity, she adds. The government wants to keep the krone The government has no plans to replace the krone with the euro. – To compensate for currency fluctuations, loans and scholarships for school fees outside the Nordic countries are currency adjusted. The currency adjustment takes place just before payment, so that students will be able to pay the actual tuition fee amount in a given currency. – We are not planning to change this now, says State Secretary Oddmund Løkensgard Hoel (Sp) in the Ministry of Education. State Secretary Oddmund Løkensgard Hoel (Sp) in the Ministry of Education believes that the current study funding scheme is already good. Photo: Ragne B. Lysaker He believes that you cannot look at the students in isolation. – It is important to remember that there are many people in our society, not just students, who feel the effects of high price growth and a weak krone exchange rate. – Having said that, Norway has a good education support scheme for Norwegian students abroad, especially compared to the education support in comparable countries, adds Hoel. In the budget negotiations with SV, it was decided that the student aid will be increased by 7 per cent over and above the expected price increase for the next academic year, emphasizes Hoel. The increase will take effect in August. – This is the largest increase in student aid over a single budget year in 15 years.
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– A bad feeling in my stomach – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
