The dream is about to burst for Vegard Elias Olsen from Narvik. Actually, he and his girlfriend Vilde Hermansen were going to pack their bags and move to England together to study now. Instead, they sit at a loss in Olsen’s garden. – This is not the situation we want to be in, says Hermansen. Vilde Hermansen and Vegard Elias Olsen were actually supposed to study together in Brighton in the next few years. But an unexpected demand from the loan office means that they have to prepare for a long-distance relationship. Photo: Frida Brembo / news At first everything seemed to go according to plan for the young couple. Both entered the studies they wanted at the same school in Brighton. Olsen on an engineering study in aerospace and aviation. That study does not exist in Norway at Bachelor’s level. – It was a dream to study it, and it was a dream to study together, says Olsen. It only said to apply for benefits from Lånekassa. But then the answer was no. He has actually taken a pre-course after the vocational course at secondary school. It covered the requirement to the university, but not the requirement to Lånekassa. Namely, they demanded general study skills. Trudde advance course was the right choice – It was very difficult to find this information on Lånekassa’s homepage. I thought I had done everything right with the preliminary course, says Olsen. Paradoxically, he would not have entered the course if he had chosen to take a general study qualification. Then he would have had too little maths and physics for the university in England. But for Lånekassa, he does not have enough Norwegian from the preliminary course to gain general study skills. The allowance he should have received from Lånekassa was approximately NOK 1.3 million. Therefore, the couple have concluded that creating a joint venture to pay for their studies is not a solution either. Photo: Frida Brembo / news – I think it’s stupid. In Norway, we shout that we need more people with vocational subjects. But when you do that, and want to get higher education without learning so much Norwegian, it’s not possible, says Hermansen. The young couple from Narvik have tried to complain to both Lånekassen and the Directorate of Education. The latter wrote in response that he is not competent enough for a study abroad. – I think it is very strange when the school has already assessed that I am competent enough, says Olsen. And Olsen is not the only one to think so. NHO: – I think it is far too square In the business world there is a great need for the education Vegard wants to take. This is according to Hans Christian Kaurin Hansson, regional director of NHO Nordland. – We at NHO think this is far too square. Hans Christian Kaurin Hansson, regional director of NHO Nordland believes that the Lånekassen’s regulations are an obstacle to the needs of business. Photo: Benjamin Fredriksen / news – Studying abroad to become an engineer is a very good combination. Therefore, it is very sad that the dream does not look like it will come true for Vegard, says Hansson. In Nordland, the need for engineers is particularly in aerospace and aviation, according to the director. Great growth is expected there. Therefore, they believe that Lånekassen should be more flexible. Andøya Spaceport is building the first spaceport in Norway on Andøya. Among other things, the business world expects that more engineers will be needed in the future. Photo: Adrian Dahl Johansen / news – The fact that the university has said that he is qualified should be enough to give him allowance for this important study. President of ANSA, Øyvind Bryhn Pettersen, agrees with the NHO director. He says that they do not know how many students are affected by this annually, but that they are familiar with the problem. Øyvind Bryhn Pettersen, President of ANSA, believes that the consequences of this may be that fewer students move abroad, even if they have entered studies. Photo: ANSA – This is a complicated obstacle for Norwegians who want to study abroad, even on important study programs that do not exist in Norway, he says. – This is completely contrary to the government’s aim that more people should have a study stay abroad. Will look at changing the regulations Anette Bjerke, director of communications at Lånekassen, will not answer this individual case, but gives a general written answer. There she writes that the regulations require that the applicant must have general academic qualifications in order for Lånekassen to grant loans and grants for university and college education in countries outside the Nordic countries. – There are some exceptions linked to age, permanent illness and practical, artistic education, but other conditions will not open the way to be able to grant benefits, writes Bjerke. Nevertheless, it is not certain that this will continue to be the case in the future. This is what the regulations on requirements for study allowance from Lånekassen § 16 say. To be entitled to loans and grants for university and college education in countries outside the Nordic countries, the applicant must have general study qualifications in Norway. The requirement for knowledge of Norwegian to obtain general study competence does not apply to applicants who have passed further education abroad or the International Baccalaureate (IB). The requirement for general academic qualifications in Norway does not apply when the applicant fulfills one of the following conditions: a. The applicant is 25 years of age or older in the calendar year in which the applicant is admitted on the basis of practical qualifications. b. The applicant is under 25 years of age, and due to his own permanent illness, personal disability or the like cannot satisfy one or more of the requirements that are set to obtain general study qualifications. c. The applicant has admission to education in performing or creative music, ballet, shoe playing or visual arts at a prominent educational institution with strict requirements for admission. State Secretary for Research and Higher Education, Ivar Prestbakmo, believes that the rules for student allowances should be simple and predictable. – The world is changing and education abroad must be an alternative for those who are qualified for such education in Norway, he believes. Photo: Fathia Mahmoud Farah / news State Secretary for Research and Higher Education, Ivar Prestbakmo, wrote in an e-mail to news that he fully understands that it may be perceived as unreasonable that the rules do not open up education allowance for a degree that has been entered on. Therefore, the politicians will now consider changing the regulations. – It has been a long time since the rules for general study skills for education abroad were last assessed, and a new University and College Act and a new Education Act have recently come which indicate that it may be time, writes Prestbakmo. Vilde Hermansen and Vegard Olsen Photo: Frida Brembo / news Nevertheless, it will not mean much to Olsen. The rules for this academic year are fixed. Any changes will only take place next year. – Now the alternative for me is to go to Gjøvik to study renewable energy, he tells news. For the boyfriend, Vilde Hermansen, it means two years alone in England. – It will probably be tough for us, but I hope he will thrive there too, she says. Published 17.08.2024, at 11.47
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Lånekassen refused Vegard study support because he chose a preliminary course instead of general study competence – news Nordland
