The Finnish Government announced new austerity measures in central government finances on Tuesday 16.4. According to initial information, a large part of the cuts will again affect students in addition to the austerity measures decided last autumn.<\/p>\n
\u201cOrpon hallituksen toimet syvent\u00e4v\u00e4t opiskelijoiden ahdinkoa entisest\u00e4\u00e4n. Opiskelijoiden palauttaminen yleisen asumistuen piirist\u00e4 asumilis\u00e4n varaan saattaa Suomen ylioppilaskuntien liiton laskelman mukaan heikent\u00e4\u00e4 opiskelijan vuosittaista tukea jopa 2 400 eurolla. N\u00e4m\u00e4 ovat todella merkitt\u00e4vi\u00e4 summia, joilla on konkreettinen vaikutus opiskelijoiden toimeentuloon ja hyvinvointiin. On vaikea n\u00e4hd\u00e4, kuinka hallitus nopeuttaa opiskelijoiden valmistumista n\u00e4ill\u00e4 p\u00e4\u00e4t\u00f6ksill\u00e4. Yh\u00e4 useamman opiskelijan on toimittava jaksamisensa \u00e4\u00e4rirajoilla turvataaksen vain katon p\u00e4\u00e4ns\u00e4 p\u00e4\u00e4ll\u00e4\u201d, kertoo Taideyliopiston ylioppilaskunnan puheenjohtaja Sara Koiranen.<\/p>\n
In addition to changes to students' social security, the Government also announced cuts and policies for different levels of education.<\/p>\n
\"It is downright shocking how many ways the Finnish study path is being weakened by government decisions. Free secondary education is being phased out, although it has only just begun, no less than EUR 100 million is being cut from vocational education and training, and it is becoming much more difficult to obtain a second qualification. The educational path of an increasing number of Finnish young people is becoming more difficult. Higher education students must also act in solidarity for lower levels of education and demand high-quality education for everyone in Finland,\" Koiranen continues.<\/p>\n
Koiranen sees the weakening as very challenging, especially for art students completing demanding and compulsory attendance studies.<\/p>\n
'When you take into account the special characteristics of art studies, such as group work and project-orientedness, which means that you operate within the schedules defined by the school, art students already have less room for manoeuvre, for example, in terms of working alongside their studies. In addition, it should be remembered that absolutely every student should be able to concentrate on studies, and not on survival. I really hope that the student movement will show the current Finnish government that this will not happen to us,' Koiranen says.<\/p>\n