Raising enrolment fees is “fair”, say education experts
Pointing to quality problems and strapped resources at Flemish universities and university colleges, education experts say higher registration fees are urgently needed
An investment in the future
Despite fierce criticism from the Flemish Association of Students (VVS) and opposition party SP.A, a growing number of experts from across the political spectrum are encouraging an increase of enrolment fees.
The higher education sector is in dire need of money, according to a recent analysis by a team of investigative journalists at public broadcaster VRT, which showed that the budget for higher education in Flanders – some €1.68 billion – has remained unchanged in the last five years, while the combined enrolment figures have risen from 187,785 in 2008 to 224,947 in 2012 – a 20% increase over four years.
“We have a quality problem,” says professor Ides Nicaise, education expert and researcher at the University of Leuven (KU Leuven). “It has become impossible to organise support for students with difficulties. It is becoming harder to programme different courses for students in different fields of study. Even the supervision of Master’s dissertations has become difficult to organise.”
If the proposed government cuts would indeed be compensated by higher registration fees, a year at university would soon cost €800 or €900 instead of the current €620. “But this adjustment only compensates for budget cuts,” says Nicaise, “it does not solve the quality problem”.
According to KU Leuven professor emeritus Roger Blanplain, a return to the previous level of quality would only be possible if the fees were increased to €1,500.
Sticker price
According to VVS president Bram Roelant, the real cost of higher education already heavily exceeds the €600 sticker price. He estimates that the actual cost of one year in college is €12,500 for the average student. “Pushing up the price even higher is not acceptable,” he says. “It will demotivate youngsters from certain study streams from taking part in higher education.”
You will earn more than people without a diploma for the rest of your life
Rudi D’Hauwers, policy advisor at the Flemish government’s department of education, says the situation is more complex than that. “The government has a choice: They can increase the tax pressure on the whole population to fund higher education. Or they can ask a higher individual contribution to cover the extra costs,” he says. “We know that 70% of 18-year olds enrol in higher education. Is it fair to make those 30% who don’t pay for the education of the others?”
According to Nicaise, the return on investment for higher education in Flanders is so high that an increase in the fees is justified. “When you graduate from higher education, you will earn more than people without a diploma for the rest of your life,” he says. “According to our own research, graduating from a higher education institution gives you a return of 8.7 to 17% on your investment. If the returns are that high, it is justifiable that you cover part of the costs yourself and don’t let society pay.”
Still, many experts are pleading for a new and better system of scholarships or study loans to compensate for the higher enrolment fees.
“It is not the registration fee itself, but the real cost of a higher education that demotivates people in lower income classes,” says Nicaise. “The current system of scholarships only takes direct costs into account – fees and books – but leaves indirect costs, such as housing and daily living expenses, out of the equation. If we want to make higher education more democratic, we need to reform and increase scholarships at the same time.”
Photo: VVS representatives during a recent protest action for quality, affordable education
Photo courtesy VVS
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