Danish rectors: Reward the fast students, penalise the slow

In the midst of the student grant SU reform debate where the government wants to cut DKK 2 billion from the budget, the Danish college of rectors (Rektorkollegiet) has now taken their stand.

»The current system is unfair« says Jens Oddershede, Rector at the University of Southern Denmark and president of the Danish college of rectors to Politiken.dk.

»When you can get more SU by spending six years studying rather than completing it within its given time frame of five years, the incentives are upside down,« he explains.

Proposal: Reward fast students

The proposal will still give all students SU corresponding to the length of their studies. However, a student who postpones exams for a semester will have half of their SU cut. If a student paces his or her exams and finishes a semester sooner, he or she should be rewarded financially.

Jens Oddershede says to Politiken.dk that it should still be possible for students to change their minds and fields of study.

He also says that the proposal is not specifically designed to meet the goverment’s objective of cutting DKK 2 bn from the SU budget.

Students wants to give rectors a reality check

At the Student Council, the proposal is met with contempt. »It was a shock to us when it came out Saturday. It seems that the rectors lack any understanding of what student life is like« says Gwen Gruner-Widding, Chairman of the Student Council, to the University Post.

»We should be proud that we have the world’s best SU system. We also have the 4th highest completion rate of the OECD countries. The SU allows students to change fields of study, but also to feel secure if anything happens to them like sickness, personal issues or bureaucratic problems«.

The students plan to show up at the office of Ralf Hemmingsen, Rector at the University of Copenhagen, to give him a »reality check« and ask him his opinion.

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