Students Do Not Deserve Poverty

Writer: Tobias Waage Bremnes

Illustrator: Linnea Santi Moe

After studying for a year, I can confidently say that student life is riddled by tight budgets that barely cover life's necessities. We cannot accept that students live in financial uncertainty; we must ensure that we have a liveable financial situation.

It's no secret that we students are short on money. According to the The National Union of Students in Norway (NSO), students run a deficit of nearly 7,000 NOK each month, forcing 9 out of 10 to work alongside their studies.

It is therefore mildly awkward that the Government, along with SV, frequently boasts about having increased student support by a historic amount. The truth is that price growth has outpaced this increase, meaning students actually have less (!) to work with each month than they did a year ago. SV celebrating the increase by handing out pizza is mocking students. It's a bit like bragging about having a big dick.

We in Venstre secured 11 months of student support during our time in government with the Conservatives, and we have long advocated for increasing student support to 1.5 times the basic amount in the national insurance scheme (G). This would significantly boost the support, and tying it to G ensures that it keeps up with inflation in society. This provides more predictability and strengthens the students' purchasing power.

On average, students work 13.7 hours a week alongside their studies. Increasing student support to 1.5G would solve the time crunch many face. This would free up time that should instead be spent on studying and socializing. Students working less is simply an investment in the quality of education and Norwegian competence.

There are more ways to give students greater financial freedom than just increasing student support, such as raising the income and asset limits for Lånekassen. The current limits are 214,213 NOK in income and 487,340 NOK in assets, which penalizes those who work alongside their studies and are good at saving. If you exceed the limit, your grant is converted into a loan that must be repaid. This makes it harder for students to establish financial security, which could make it easier to obtain a mortgage in the future.

I believe I speak for most when I say that entering the housing market feels like a distant dream. It's paradoxical that if you are good at saving, your grant gets converted into a student loan, which in turn makes it harder to take out a mortgage when the time comes.

While we're on the topic of housing, we need to address the shortage of student housing. After all, 15,000(!) students are waiting in line for student housing, and the low supply drives up rental prices, taking a huge chunk out of our bank accounts. I have several friends who have to pay nearly 11,000 NOK a month in rent, which is equivalent to their entire student support. They are completely dependent on jobs and financial support from their parents to afford food, textbooks, and bus passes.

It is paradoxical that the Government is allocating less money for building student housing, while simultaneously claiming that they will build even more. They have also now denied non-profit organizations like Anker the ability to continue building student housing in Oslo.

There is much we can do to improve students' financial situations. When everything indicates that student support is too low, we must take action to ensure that we students have a liveable income.