(cont.) Response to interpellation 2023/24:71 on the goal of the student support system
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
L argues that the government has high ambitions for student support and that they are increasing the compensation by 1,100 SEK per month to ensure that everyone can study regardless of the size of their wallet 1. L emphasizes that Sweden has one of the world's most generous systems and that they are now making a clarification in the goals for CSN 2. S considers that student support should be equalizing and contribute to social justice 3. S hopes that the government backs down from the proposal to change the goal and argues that words and goals matter 3 4. S considers that the prioritization of social justice is not included in the government's and SD's policy 4.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Utbildningsministern Mats Persson (L)
Madam Speaker! I thank Niklas Sigvardsson for the question I received a couple of hours ago.
The government has high ambitions in this area. An example of how important CSN's activities are, not least in order to stand up for that all young people, or all people, should have the opportunity to educate themselves in Sweden, is that we in the budget now increase the compensation by 1,100 kronor per month for the student. That the CSN grant, or the CSN compensation, is increased by 1,100 kronor is a clear example that the government considers CSN to be an important part of an education system where everyone gets the chance and where, regardless of the size of one's wallet, one has a chance to continue studying.
Niklas Sigvardsson does not need to be worried, then. We have very high ambitions in this area. We stand up for that people should be able to use CSN as a way to realize themselves and invest in an education, and it should not be linked to how large a wallet one has.
Niklas Sigvardsson (S)
Madam Speaker! To begin with what practically the entire short speech from Mats Persson was about is the question of an indexing of the CSN funds, i.e., the student aid, which is directed at college students and university students. It is good that the government continues the automatic indexation. This we also have included in our budget.
With that said, I think it is a bit strange that the Minister for Education does not quite answer the questions in the interpellation, which concern something that the government has done entirely without dialogue in such an important area as the goal for the Swedish student grant. My hope is that we can find an agreement, because we think it is important that there is an agreement on such an important goal regarding the core of education policy. According to the current goal for the student grant, it shall have an equalizing effect and contribute to social justice.
In the government's budget bill, there are indicators that are monitored regarding the goal that it should be equalizing and contribute to social justice. It concerns boarding allowances for many different groups, including for students who are studying a sports education in another location. It concerns students who study with the study start support. It concerns students who have a higher grant level. It concerns students who have supplementary grants. Students with children can be included there, for example. It is very important that these groups continue to have access to the support.
A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of asking the Director General of CSN if they had managed to conduct any analysis of what the potential change of objective would entail for the work. Naturally, the agency had not yet managed to carry out such an analysis. Partly because very little time had passed, and partly because they, with respect for their mandator, which I also respect, had not yet had dialogues regarding the objective, and the objective is actually not decided.
I and the Social Democrats hope that the government can back down from the proposal to change the goal that is on the table, take their wits about them and show that political priorities matter and that words are important, so that the goal of the student support system can also in the future be that it shall be equalizing and contribute to social justice.
I continue to ask questions to the Minister for Education, because the Minister for Education has neither in his initial answer nor in his second speech touched upon the concept of social justice, which is nevertheless an essential part of the meaning that we are now discussing. I ask the Minister for Education to mention something about why the support should not continue to contribute to social justice.
Utbildningsministern Mats Persson (L)
Madam Speaker! To be honest, I do not quite understand the criticism. I do not understand what the problem is. We have in this country the world's most generous system for those who study. I am very proud of that. It is a very good thing that Sweden should be very proud of. In this budget, we ensure that those who study in Sweden today receive 1,100 kronor more per month. What is the problem? It is very good, isn't it?
We have a fantastic system that we should be very proud of. We are changing the description of the goals for the system, but in actual practice, we are expanding the system and increasing the compensation by 1,100 kronor per month. That makes it so that those who study can feel that they can live on the funds from CSN. The student support still ensures that more people can continue their studies, and it is not linked to the parents' wallet. It is a very good thing that we should be proud of.
Sometimes it feels like the Social Democrats are looking for problems in order to find things to criticize. I honestly do not understand the problem.
Niklas Sigvardsson (S)
Madam Speaker! I think this debate is very striking. It would have been great if we had agreed that the student support should continue to act as an equalizer, but now we are not. The Minister for Education is trying to demonstrate that it will not make much of a difference that the goal is changed and that this will be covered by the broad recruitment goal. But words do have meaning, especially when we discuss in this chamber. Goals also have meaning.
For us Social Democrats, it is a self-evident fact that education should be accessible to everyone in our society. The Minister for Education has also stood and said this from the rostrum, and I hope that he continues to do so. Education is, in fact, one of the most important tools for making people grow and realize their dreams. But that the Minister for Education does not show respect for the goals, which I believe is the case now, is remarkable.
The student grant needs to be adapted, which is being done today, and I hope that we can continue to agree on that in this chamber. But it is also clear that an extremely important part of the goal for the Swedish student grant – which we are both very proud of, if I understand Mats Persson correctly – is that it should be recruiting but also must be equalizing and contribute to social justice. It is becoming clearer and clearer that this prioritization is not included in the government's and the Sverigedemokraternas policy. We see it in area after area. In this debate, we see it clearly when it comes to the student grant system.
I still find it difficult to see what it is that bothers the government and the Sweden Democrats about this sentence regarding student support being intended to level differences between individuals and groups in the population and contribute to increased social justice. The Minister for Education can answer that in his final speech.
Utbildningsministern Mats Persson (L)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Niklas Sigvardsson, for an excellent question, and thank you for the debate!
I am having a bit of difficulty understanding this discussion. We have the world's most generous system for student support. I perceive that there is a very broad political consensus on this. I am personally very proud that we have such a system.
That means that people, regardless of what background they have, have very strong economic incentives to pursue further education. It is also very many people in Sweden who do so. I think that is very good. This is a very large advantage that Sweden has in relation to other countries where the tuition fees are very high.
There, it is very often the case that the social inheritance is passed down as an inheritance. You must have mom and dad as an ATM to be able to finance your fees at a university around Europe or in the USA. That is the way it is there. It is a strength that we have a different model in Sweden. We must stand guard over it, and we must protect it.
The government is now making a clarification regarding the goals for CSN. But it is even more important, and the most important thing we do, to ensure that we still have the world's most generous system for those who continue their studies. According to the proposal in the budget, the compensation for those studying is increased by 1,100 kronor every month.
It is a very large amount of money that students receive. I think it is good that we make that prioritization. In a time of high inflation, it is important that the compensation to the students is not eroded, but that they receive a compensation so that they do not lose out by studying.
I am very proud that we are making that prioritization in the budget. Sometimes politics becomes almost a bit too much theater, where one looks for political errors and shortcomings instead of standing guard over what we are proud of, namely this system.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.