Challenges of Higher Education from a students' perspective presents several issues: 1) Budget cuts are decreasing public responsibility for higher education funding and increasing tuition fees and access limitations. 2) A stronger focus on short-term employability is replacing grants with loans to deal with the economic crisis. 3) Ensuring equal access and opportunity for higher education remains important, and it should be considered a fundamental human right and public good available through public funding.

1. Challenges of Higher Education from a students' perspective
Ch
Florian Kaiser
Executive Committee 2012/13
1 commentary

2. What is ESU?
The European Students' Union is the umbrella organization
of the National Unions of Students in Europe
Founded in 1982
Currently 47 members from 38 countries
Representing over 11 Million students
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3. What are we working on?
 Access and support
 Public responsibility for education (and funding)
 Internationalization of Higher Education
(and structural reforms)
 Quality and transparency
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4. Why higher education?
Higher education as chance for...
… social mobility
… a democratic society
… tackling enequalities
… economical development and sustainability
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5. Latest developments in HE
In a lot of European countries:
 Budget cuts (= decrease of public responsibility)
 Increase of tuition fees
 Increase of access limitations
 Replacing grants by loans
 Stronger focus on employability
(short term solution for the crisis)
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6. Acces for all
We are united in believing and asserting that education is a
fundamental human right, public good and public
responsibility. We maintain that this right must be assured
primarily by governments through means of public funding,
All relevant stakeholders (especially Education Providers),
should work collaboratively to create and foster equal access
and equal opportunity to education.
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7. Human right vs. Commodity
Commodities
= objects of trade, they are produced, the are associated with
rights of disposition and they give its owner some sort of
benefit
Commodifacation
= process that gives an object the characteristics named before
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8. From economization to commodification
Economization...
… of content
… of educational services
… of educational institutes and pedagogical relations
→ Commodification as a result of economization?
→ Commodification as access barrier?
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9. A social dimension...(London Communiqué, 2007)
“Higher education
should play a strong role in fostering social cohesion, reducing inequalities
and raising the level of
knowledge, skills and competences in society... We share the societal
“Higher education
should play a strong role in fostering social cohesion, reducing inequalities and raising the level of
knowledge, skills and competences in society... We share the societal aspiration that the student body
aspiration that the student body
entering, participating in and completing higher education at all levels should reflect the diversity of
our populations. We reaffirm the importance of students being able to complete their studies without
obstacles related to their social and economic background.”
entering, participating in and completing higher education at all levels should
reflect the diversity of
our populations. We reaffirm the importance of students being able to
complete their studies without
obstacles related to their social and economic background.”
9 commentary

10. What is a student? (according to Schwarz & Rehburg)
Students in Europe are seen...
… as investors (like in the United Kingdom)
… as dependent children of a family (like in Italy)
… as adolescent trainees (like in France)
… as citizens with own responsibilities (like in Norway)
→ In the future? Just as investors?
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11. Private investmens in HE without a risk?
The US as an example:
$ 1 trillion in students loans
50% recent college graduates unemployed
or underemployed
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12. Questions about the privatization
 Is HE still a potential prevention of economic crisis or a
potential risk?
 Are we creating a „students loan bubble“?
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13. Societal benefits of HE
For every $1 spent an average earning of $2 (OECD, EAAG 2012)
→ HE a profitable investment for a society
„Private earnings“ cannot be calculated like this as a single
student cannot calculate in averages
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14. How should HE be financed?
Preference for the „Skandinavian model“
= high progressive income taxation and high public
responsibility to finance higher education
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15. How does ESU work on the challenges?
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16. How does ESU work on the challenges?
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17. How does ESU work on the challenges?
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18. Many thanks for your attention!
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