What is it about?
The state of Schleswig-Holstein plans to close a gap in its budget by introducing
administrative fees for all students. In addition to their semester fees, students will have to pay an administrative fee of €60 per semester. The
state government is asking students to foot the bill because it lacks the political will to provide sufficient funding for universities. There are no plans to provide financial relief or compensation for students. The additional €60 will merely serve to maintain the current unsatisfactory situation without bringing about any improvements. Student bodies in Schleswig-Holstein have been sharply criticizing this approach for months.
What are the €60 for and why exactly 60?
The administrative fees are intended to close a budget gap. Due to the current budget situation, the state is taking around €7.3 million from the universities’ coffers. This money is to be returned to the universities through our €60 fee. Previously, this sum was paid by the state, but now students are being asked to foot the bill. The ministry’s calculation is based on the amount of money it takes from the universities’ funds. This was divided by the total number of students in Schleswig-Holstein. The problem is that the calculation is based on significantly higher student numbers from 2022. The upcoming empty high school graduating class was also not taken into account. The ministry is now referring to this as an administrative cost contribution. This means that the €60 is only intended to contribute to the administrative costs incurred and that further increases are foreseeable.
Why is it a problem?
In recent years, the state government has chronically underfunded universities, making them increasingly dependent on third-party funding and forcing them to compete for it, leading to cutbacks in some areas of research and teaching, and preventing necessary investments in infrastructure. The bottom line is that education is once again becoming a luxury that one must be able to afford. The €60 levy is by no means an isolated measure. It comes on top of skyrocketing rents, food prices, and energy costs, constant increases in the price of the Deutschlandticket, and growing pressure to perform and compete, while minimum wages and BAföG rates are not even close to keeping pace with inflation. Instead of presenting sustainable and comprehensive solutions to financing problems, the CDU-led Ministry of Science is playing different groups off against each other.
The supposed alternative to the €60 is further cuts to schools and daycare centers. But we will not allow ourselves to be played off against each other and stand in solidarity with one another, demanding more money for the entire education system.