2,000 students demonstrate in Brussels against budget cuts

About 2,000 students from across Belgium, but particularly from Dutch-speaking universities, demonstrated in Brussels yesterday against money-saving measures in higher education. In total, the government of Flanders needs to cut the education budget by €190 million, and higher education is taking the brunt of the savings.

Student associations fear that the quality of education will decrease and that the registration fees will be increased to the point that they will serve as a deterrent for lower-income students. Currently, students without any sort of financial aid pay €620 a year in university fees.

Led by the Flemish Association of Students (VVS), thousands of students marched from Brussels Central train station to the Flemish Parliament. The student associations declared that they were disappointed that they were not consulted when the cost-saving measures were drawn up.

“We already feel the budget cuts: There are too few professors and assistants, and registration fees are already too high,” VVS president Bram Roelant told deredactie.be. “More budget cuts will in the long term come at a much higher price.”

Before the demonstration, the students were received at the cabinet of Flemish education minister Hilde Crevits. Roelant stated that it was “a constructive discussion” but feels the students didn’t get the response they were hoping for. “The students will continue their actions,” he said.

Crevits confirmed that an increase of the registering fees is very probable. “But it’s not the fees that create barriers to higher education,” she said. “It’s the wrong study orientation.” Crevits didn’t specify how much the fees would ultimately be, but previous reports in the media have quoted the figure €1,000 a year.

photo by Frederik Sadones/CORBIS