Groningen, 5 December 2024 – The Groninger Student Union (GSb) reacts with mixed feelings to the news that the Slow Student Fine, which would oblige students to pay an extra 3,000 euros in tuition fees for study delays, is finally off the table. ‘We are happy that the Slow Student Fine has finally been scrapped, but let’s be honest: this is no Christmas present. The cuts in higher education are still in full swing and these continue to threaten the accessibility of our education,’ said Jitske Wielers, chair of the GSb.
The Slow Student Fine was one of many government plans to cut higher education, and despite the victory on this front, the situation remains worrying. ‘This cabinet has more than enough other plans that jeopardize the future of students. It is good that we were able to stop the fine, but that does not solve the problem,’ Wielers said.
Student protests and actions in Groningen and beyond, from demonstrations in The Hague to actions in the city centre and at DUO, have paid off. ‘Together with other student organisations, we opposed the langstudeerboete, and it has worked. But that does not mean we can now sit back,’ Wielers said. ‘The cabinet must also draw a line under the other education cuts. Education is the basis for a future, and we cannot afford to cut back on the future of the Netherlands.’
