March protesting the student loans interest hike

Various youth organisations have called on students to protest the government’s plans to increase the interest rate on student loans. They are angry about this new measure since it will once again make studying even more expensive than it used to be.

Last week, Education Minister Van Engelshoven submitted her bill specifying a new interest rate for student loans to the Dutch House of Representatives. If it’s up to the Minister, borrowing will come at a considerably higher cost for students commencing their studies in 2020. Assuming an average student debt of 21,000 euro after graduation, students will soon be required to make monthly repayments of 82 rather than 70 euro.

Milch cows

Under the slogan ‘Students aren’t milch cows!’, FNV Jong, the Amsterdam student union ASVA and the youth organisations of political parties SP, GroenLinks and PvdA will be taking to the streets on Friday in Amsterdam to voice their dissent.

“The social loan system is gradually being replaced by an antisocial loan system – and we’re fed up. This Friday, we’ll be letting people know that the government shouldn’t treat us like milch cows!” is how the organisations summed up their position in a joint press release.

While the national student organisations ISO and LSVb weren’t involved in organising Friday’s march, they do support this protest. They have already called on the Cabinet to scrap its plans earlier on.

The march will kick off at 2 p.m. on Dam Square and ends on Spui near the Maagdenhuis building, the former seat of the University of Amsterdam’s Executive Board.