On December 16, 2021, there were also protests for more generous compensation for students who fell under the loan system. Photo: Archive ANP/Ramon van Flymen
The basic grant for all students is coming back. Exit loan system. In the meantime, hordes of students have built up an unsatisfactory student debt. According to the student unions, the compensation that the cabinet wants to offer for this is far too meager.
The loan system was introduced in 2015. The scholarship was no longer a gift, the basic grant, but a loan. Since its introduction, the number of students with a student debt has increased considerably, and the level of that debt is also higher than before.
The new cabinet has decided to abolish the loan system in 2023 . In order to compensate students who fell under this system, the cabinet has one billion euros. According to student unions, this amounts to a maximum of 3000 euros per student. 2000 euros in the form of a study voucher, and 1000 euros in compensation for the debt.
Protest for better compensation
Far too little, according to Ama Boahene of student union LSVb: “With that amount you can’t even pay tuition fees for two years. And that while students have sometimes incurred tens of thousands of euros in debt.” On Saturday 5 February, several youth organizations in Amsterdam protest for better compensation for the ‘loan system generation’. Should compensation really go up?