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COPENHAGEN:
Thousands of Danish students took to the streets on Wednesday to protest against government plans to reduce student allowances, joining a growing wave of youth demonstrations across Europe over education funding cuts.
Under the slogan ‘Enough is Enough’, 11 high school and university student associations marched from Copenhagen’s City Hall Square to parliament, protesting proposed changes intended to free up funds for defence spending.
Organisers said around 40,000 students had joined strikes at 57 schools across Denmark, including between 12,000 and 13,000 demonstrators in Copenhagen. Chanting ‘Broken Promises’, students carried placards reading ‘Save SU’ and ‘Less Support, Less Educated’, referring to the country’s student allowance system, which has supported students since 1970.
The centre-left government plans to abolish the allowance for students living with their parents if their combined annual income exceeds 700,000 Danish kroner ($104,440). Payments would also be reduced progressively for students whose parents earn between 419,589 and 700,000 kroner. The Higher Education Ministry estimates that around 14,000 students will lose their grants, while another 8,000 will receive reduced payments. Student association president Oscar Tonsberg Hoffmann said dismantling the allowance would undermine one of the world’s strongest education systems.
The government also proposes restricting unemployment benefits for recent graduates to those who worked during at least 18 of the final 24 months of their studies.