Students who have fallen deeply into debt as a result of the student loan system cannot expect more compensation than has been promised so far. The government parties do not want to go much further than the 1 billion euros that the cabinet has made available for this. Today, the House of Representatives is debating the abolition of the loan system and the reintroduction of the basic grant.
Students who have borrowed money under the loan system in order to study have accrued an average of 27,000 euros in debt. They now receive an allowance of approximately 1400 euros from the cabinet. Especially left-wing parties in the House of Representatives think that is “a tip”.
But the ruling party CDA immediately made it clear in the debate that the consequences of the student loan system cannot be fully remedied with retroactive effect. MP René Peters emphasized once again that his party has always considered the feudal system a “bad liberal plan” and was against it.
Comparison with the AOW
Peters is happy that this mistake is being reversed, but that does not mean that the students who fall under the “unlucky generation” can now be fully compensated. According to him, there is no question of bad luck, because it was a conscious political policy choice to abolish the basic grant in 2015.
Peters made a comparison with the introduction of the state pension by Prime Minister Drees in the 1950s. Then people who had already reached the age of 65 were not retroactively compensated.
“And soon we will have free childcare. At the moment parents are still paying blue for it. We will probably not compensate them either,” said Peters. The 1400 euros that the students now receive is emphatically an allowance. “Considerable money, but no compensation.”
Broad support for basic grant
From next academic year, most students can again claim a basic grant of 274.90 euros (when living away from home) and 110.30 euros (when living at home), according to the plans of Minister Dijkgraaf (Education). The amount for students living away from home will temporarily increase due to inflation.
Those who graduate within 10 years do not have to repay the basic grant. There will also be a supplementary grant for students with low-earning parents. The reintroduction of the basic grant can count on broad support in the House of Representatives, although various opposition parties think the amounts are far too low.
Insufficient
SP member Peter Kwint wanted to know what the amount of the basic grant is based on: “It is intended, the name says it all, for the basic, but everyone here knows that it is nowhere near sufficient.” According to him, it is barely higher than the amount he himself received years ago as a student, while the costs for a room, for example, have risen sharply.
The Party for the Animals proposed making the temporary inflation correction of 164 euros per month for students living away from home permanent. “Because you can count on your fingers that the cost of living will not fall again,” said MP Frank Wassenberg.
- Kamer also wants a higher basic grant for students living away from home after next academic year
- Basic grant for higher education reintroduced, students think the amount is too low
- Loan system students protest against missing 14,000 euros
