The Ministry of Education and Culture has requested a statement on the outline for Government decree amending the Government Decree on Universities as well as the Ministry of Education and Culture decree on the calculation criteria for the basic funding of universities.
Under the current funding model for universities, universities are granted funding according to the objectives of education and research as well as educational and scientific policy. The Ministry of Education and Culture proposes the mutual weight to be amended so that 2 % of the objectives of educational and scientific policies are transferred to education and 3 % to research.
The most significant amendments are the funding to be removed from under strategy-based funding that is tied to the objectives of the Government programme and the Government. Additionally, a new funding criterion is proposed to be added under education, according to the number of new first-time students.
More emphasis is placed on first-time students.
The Ministry of Education and Culture proposes in its outline that a new category “number of new first-time students” would be added under education. The aim of this amendment is to increase the number of first-time students and thus, in accordance with the Government programme, to raise the level of education in Finland.
The Student Union of Tampere University (TREY) doesn’t deem justifiable to measure the number of first-time students as an appropriate solution in an effort to improve raising the educational level. Instead of emphasising the number of first-time students, it would be more justifiable to encourage universities to invest in high quality teaching and instruction as well as in students’ well-being.
Therefore, TREY proposes transferring to 2 of the 3 % invested in this to the already existing student feedback, which is based on the funding factors of education. This would increase the funding criterion based on student feedback to 5 %.
TREY sees that the remaining 1 % could be reinvested in the funding criteria of continuous learning, which would better support the accessibility of continuous learning.
Rewards from graduating in target time and from the first degree
By funding, universities are encouraged to get students to graduate in target time. Currently, 1.5 times the amount of money has been collected from a student graduating on time, but the new outline proposes increasing the coefficient to 1,8.
According to the Ministry of Education and Culture, the reason behind this is the desire to strengthen the support and instruction services and study processes of institutions of higher education so that it would be possible for a student to graduate on time.
As highlighted by SYL, SAMOK and OAJ in their dissenting statement, institutions of higher educations have only limited means to speed up students’ graduation.
Working during studies is one of the most significant factors contributing to the delay in graduating TREY sees that the future amendments in the student financial aid system are likely to increase work during studies and thus, the delay of studies even further. Finding employment during studies shouldn’t be viewed as a negative thing either.
The Ministry of Education and Culture also proposes that the coefficient of completion of the second degree would be lowered from the current 0,7 to 0,5. What is behind this is the entry of increasing the number of first-time students and intervening in the “accumulation” of education.
TREY sees that there is quite a range of reasonable reasons for completing another degree of the same level. A person may not have been able to find a job in the previous field or, for example, as technology is developing, work within the field is disappearing.
TREY objects both of the proposed amendments to the coefficient and proposes that the coefficient would be kept as their currently are.
The outline of the new funding model is broad and it deals with other affairs as well. You can read TREY’s whole statement on the outline of universities’ funding model on TREY’s website.
More information
Jenna Rantanen
Specialist in educational and international affairs
jenna.rantanen@trey.fi
+358503612849
Picture on the banner: TT-kamerat/ Sami Lamminen