BRATISLAVA, January 18, (WEBNOVINY) — If the Ministry of Education enacted free-of-charge study for all external students, the situation of universities could become unbearable, Education Minister Eugen Jurzyca and the Slovak Rectors‘ Conference President Libor Vozar agreed. The Constitutional Court stated that it is unconstitutional if one group of external students has to pay for their education and the rest doesn’t. Therefore, the ministry submitted a draft amendment, according to which all newly admitted external students would have to pay tuition fees. The Student Strike Committee blames Jurzyca that he did not consider the alternative of a free-of-charge study. “The universities’ budgets undergo cuts this year, in their capital expenditures approximately by one-third,” argues the minister. He, however, ruled out the possibility of introducing tuition fees for full-time study in the present economic and political situation.
Rectors‘ Conference President Vozar underlines that the universities received 1.4 percent less funds for both education and research this year compared to 2010. In case they would allow free-of-charge study to external students, it could be seen on the quality of education they provide. If all students who pay for their university education stopped paying, this would mean a shortfall of approximately 25 million euro per year, says Vozar. All external students newly admitted from the 2011/2012 academic year should pay for their education. In the case that they were admitted to a free-of-charge study program, they will not pay for it. Considering the published fees for the new external students, Vozar does not think that the universities would abuse the recent situation. “I have no information, that the tuition fees on external forms of study would increase in any significant way,” he said.
The draft amendment of the law on universities met with indignation of students. The Student Strike Committee mentions liquidating changes. “The Ministry of Education has not considered the alternative of a free-of-charge study for all external students at all. In the financial analysis of the explanatory report, the reasoning, whether such tuition fee won’t influence access to education is missing,” claims SVS. They say that external students are usually employees, who want to increase their skills while working or whose employers demand it. Therefore, mostly those who need further education the most, will suffer. The students also disagree with the amendment to the law on health insurance, according to which university students who reached the age of 26 before the end of 2010, have to pay their health insurance (46.06 euro per month) from January 2011. PhD students, who finish their studies before reaching the age of thirty and not studying more than the standard three years, do not have to pay their health insurance.
SITA