Norway: Siltanews – News Desk
Five student organizations have called on the Norwegian Minister for Research and Higher Education to reintroduce tuition-free higher education for international students outside of the European Union, European Economic Area and Switzerland.
“Tuition fees are leading to Norway losing the battle for talented people,” the organizations told Sigrun Aasland in a statement.
“We are glad that the Labour Party government recognizes international participation as a key for success. The most rational action now is to remove tuition fees totally and reintroduce free higher education,” wrote the group, comprising Kaja Ingdal Hovednak, chair of the Norwegian Union of Students; Øyvind Bryhn Pettersen, president the Association for Norwegian Students Abroad; Thea Tuset from the National Union of Students in Higher Vocational Education and Training in Norway; Guro Kvilten, president of the Erasmus Student Network Norway; and Selma Matsdotter Bratberg, president of The Norwegian Students’ and Academics’ International Assistance Fund (SAIH).
The five student leaders described the autumn of 2023 as a “turning point” for Norwegian higher education. This is when former minister for research and higher education Ola Borten Moe from the Centre Party succeeded in introducing tuition fees for students from countries outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland.
“Through this action a long and proud principle of free higher education in Norway was broken,” they wrote.
They drew attention to the fact that the government’s decision happened despite the fact that all 87 written responses to the hearing on the governmental proposal were against the introduction of tuition fees. “Such a massive takeover of a whole sector, contrary to all advice, was rare in Norwegian politics,” they wrote.
The students said since the policy was introduced, the country had lost almost 80% of all non-EU students, leading to the closure of study programs and a reduction in the quality of Norwegian higher education.
They argued that the principle of free higher education had given Norway a competitive advantage when it came to attracting international students and partly compensated for the relatively low number of English-taught study programs and high living costs in Norway.
“In the face of authoritarianism, attacks on democracy, and major global challenges, community and cooperation are crucial. We are therefore completely dependent on the exchange of knowledge across national borders,” they wrote.