Changes in tuition fees: higher education may become unaffordable for a part of society

 "The government has approved higher standard tuition fees - this means that starting from the next academic year, universities will receive 5 to 10 percent more funds from the state for one student's education than this year. Will studies also become more expensive for those who study with their own money?

 

     What are the standard tuition fees?

 

     "Regular prices for studies should cover the costs required for the process. Those prices consist of three main components - salaries of teachers and non-academic employees, purchases of equipment, teaching aids and incentives for students, i.e. i.e. scholarships or other support. The price coefficients consist of several things: one of the components is the size of the basic social benefits, which determines what student scholarships, disability scholarships, and social benefits will be. In addition, if wages rise, the standard price of studies also rises," explains Vice Minister of Education Gintautas Jakštas.

 

     He says that the standard price of studies has not changed for a long time, and the newly calculated ones will rise by only about 5-6 percent, so if you observe the jump in inflation, the price of studies will change quite slightly.

 

     "Now is the last year when studies are financed by only one method - there are baskets that are allocated according to the number of accepted students. According to the standard price of studies, you also receive financing. This model also has certain flaws - it does not matter how well the higher education institutions operate, it is important how many students they attract. Applicants often choose based on the city, the name of the program, not necessarily where the highest quality of teaching is.

 

     As a result, the model has been changed - from next year, funding will be allocated for the quality of studies as well, indicators such as employment of graduates, the ability to attract foreign students, the integration of the social dimension into the study program, etc. will be evaluated," the Deputy Minister of Education explains the upcoming changes.

 

     Preparation for the changes, according to G. Jakštas, took place for about two years. He says that in order to attract students, educational institutions often tried to retain not very motivated students themselves, but the changes will allow not to lose funding, even if about 20 percent of students decide that the chosen studies are not suitable for them.

 

     The cost of studies is always a sensitive topic for students

 

     The president of the student union, Paulius Vaitiekus, says that tuition fees are always a sensitive topic for students.

 

     "Based on research, we see that a significant number of students depend on the support of their relatives or the work they do during their studies. Prices can create some barriers for different groups of students. Now there is also talk about incentive funding for higher education. From next year, there will be a second round of competition, access should be easier for socially vulnerable groups, so it seems that those problems are being solved. As the basket increases, so does funding per student, but it does not necessarily directly reflect what a student needs to pay for. We also have support mechanisms, there are student loans, which unfortunately are not so popular due to the limitations of the fund itself. This could also be one of the alternatives for students to cover the cost of studies and successfully integrate into the study process", says P. Vaitiekus.

 

     The Deputy Minister of Education claims that nominal and real prices are different. Although the standard prices of studies are increasing, the real price for studies is decreasing.

 

     "Due to inflation, even the average income is growing faster than the standard price, which means that the cost of education is decreasing. Is it normal for students to pay for their studies? There were many discussions, the former government had the slogan "free bachelor's", which cannot be implemented without amending the Constitution, because it is not possible to prohibit higher education institutions from accepting students who pay for their studies", explains the interviewer.

 

     G. Jakštas says that paid studies are often chosen by those people who want to study what they like, but do not fall into the ranks of free students, and free places are created as much as there is a need for specialists. In addition, it is no secret that paid studies are often chosen by those who study poorly, do not pass the matriculation exams with the scores required to choose the desired studies.

 

     "If you've been slower than everyone else so far, they say you'll do better in higher education, we'll catch up - that's misleading, and I feel sorry for the kids whose families take out loans to pay for their studies: we see that a large percentage of graduates don't work in jobs that require a higher education , because they got a diploma but didn't get knowledge. It's the same if we enroll in a doctoral program after primary school - <...> if someone gives a diploma, we probably won't have the knowledge, because we don't have the whole path to get there", the interviewee suggests to think carefully about the study choices.

 

     G. Jakštas says that he often hears that people compare the prices of studies in Lithuania and foreign countries.

 

     "For example, they say that studying in Holland is cheaper than in Lithuania, but there is no such thing there what and how studies are paid for citizens of the European Union - they are all partially financed. For those who apply from third countries, the prices are seven times higher than in Lithuania", explains the Deputy Minister of Education.

 

     Often, young people choose to study in higher education institutions not because of personal aspirations, but because of pressure from relatives or their social environment. The student union president says he is well aware of such cases, and there are quite a few of them.

 

     Higher education institutions, receiving a basket for a student, were certainly interested in a young person choosing to study with them, which, according to P. Vaitiekus, did not always determine the quality of knowledge either.

 

     "Universities receive funding depending on incoming students. It is inevitable that this is a kind of marketing campaign to attract as many students as possible, to get as much funding as possible. This means that not all students are ready, and in some cases their retention is artificially done. This leads to an imbalance of the entire system. Sometimes those who want and are able to study well cannot do so, because there is an influx of those who simply enroll in higher education", says P. Vaitiekus.

 

     According to the interviewee, the quality of studies in Lithuania is valued very highly, diplomas are recognized not only in our country, but also abroad, and where to study - in Lithuania or in a foreign country - everyone has to choose according to their needs."