Right-wing parties slash basic grant by €164
In September, the basic grant for students living away from home will go down again, the House of Representatives decided yesterday. Students will then receive €302 per month. That is €164 less than the current amount.
This academic year the basic grant returned after eight years. For students living in student housing, there was good news: the amount was temporarily increased by €164 per month due to heavy inflation.
That increase is coming to an end again. The D66 and SP parties had proposed extending the income support for a year, but their amendment was rejected yesterday by the right-wing parties in parliament. Only Forum for Democracy voted with the left-wing parties.
To be more precise, the scholarship is now €466.69 per month and will drop to €302.39 per month the next academic year. For students still living with their parents, nothing will change. They will still receive a monthly amount of €121.33.
This is separate from the supplementary grant for students whose parents' income remains below a certain level. This amounts to a maximum of €457.60.
Student organizations sent a “fiery letter” to the House of Representatives this week. Given the high costs for students, they believe the basic grant is already too low, so this increase should not disappear.
To extend the increase by one year, the D66 and SP wanted to tap into an unused pot at another ministry. Minister Robbert Dijkgraaf did not feel this was a good idea. “Such a shift of funds does not suit an outgoing cabinet,” he argued.
