Fiona Maqi
Should the government student grant be abolished?
Many people in the Netherlands want to go to college after high school. This costs money and not all students and parents have enough money to pay for this. Therefore, the government has ensured that everyone is entitled to a student grant. If you're planning to follow a full-time course after the age of 18, the government will give you a grant and possibly an additional loan to pay your school fees. However the Dutch parliament has discussed the fact that the student grants should be abolished to cut down expenses.
By dispensing the student grants, young students who do come from wealthy families won’t have the opportunity to go to college. The measure to dispense the grants was actually taken too impulsive to save money on a short notice. It has not been taken into consideration that as a result, going to college or university becomes less attractive. A college or a university education is quite expensive. Some students have difficulty making ends meet with the student. Most will choose to work sooner, rather than studying.
Moreover, abolition leads to greater differences between rich and poor and causes less educated people in the country. It is much fairer if everyone gets a student grant. If everyone has to pay for college or university themselves, there is a high probability that students from a lower-income family will get less education which leads to lower paid jobs. Students with parents who can afford it, go to college and get a better paying job. Furthermore, highly educated people will overtime, produce money for the government. If the government invests in higher education, it gets this money back through additional taxes and contributions.
However, there are some students that take advantage of the student grants. If you still live at home, you can get financial help from your parents. Therefore when you live on your own, there is a higher student grant. This could