Paying the price
Traditionally, education provided free of charge has been considered a cornerstone of the Nordic societal model, an equaliser of wealth differences between social classes that also allows pursuing higher education regardless of the student’s background.
english translation marko saajanaho
As a consequence of various actions planned and implemented in higher education, this model has begun to deteriorate. Even in the past, paid preparation courses for entrance exams in fields with application pressure have created inequality between applicants.
This development has been accelerated by the social benefits for studies getting outpaced by the cost level. The ability of students to finance their studies already varies greatly.
Opportunities for continuous development of expertise have decreased with the loss of alternation leave and adult education subsidy along with other allowances. Structures to replace them are just not happening. Yet, one work career with one degree does not quite reflect the realities of society anymore.
At the same time, fees charged for continuous learning are on the rise. The most recent example is the ongoing planning of paid open university degrees. This proposal was met with predominantly negative feedback.
Fees charged in a budget-financed funding model would definitely cause a quick impulse to cut budget funding equally. This can be seen in the UK, for example, where increased tuition fees have gone hand in hand with reduced public funding. The result has been a funding crisis for universities and growing loan burdens on students.
While considering an alternate reality, one might ask whether partial or full cost tuition fees would in fact bring real improvements to the student experience or teaching work. Would groups be smaller? Would a student receive more personalised education and guidance in exchange of their money than under the current budget funding? That is highly doubtful.
Instead, it is easy to see a vision of teachers having to market their curricula – again at the cost of teaching, guidance, and research. If the public funding channel is allowed to deteriorate as a result of these actions, fixing it may prove an arduous task.
