Hundreds of students in trouble due to unfair Covid support, union says

Hundreds of students are facing financial difficulties because they do not qualify for the new coronavirus study compensation scheme, according to student union LSVb. The union called the scheme unfair and is opening a hotline where students can file complaints about the current policy, De Telegraaf reports.

Over the past few weeks, the LSVb received multiple reports from students saying that the coronavirus study compensation scheme, recently launched by the Ministry of Education, is unfair or insufficient.

The scheme offers 535 euros in tuition compensation for students who graduate in the current academic year, so before August 31. Students who are still studying in the coming academic year, and also studied this academic year, will have their tuition fees halved. 

But this means that students whose graduation was delayed to the new academic year due to a short study delay, will only get to pay half tuition for the short period that they have to study in the new academic year and will get no compensation for the current year. And that is unfair, LSVb chairman Ama Boahene said to the newspaper.

The union is therefore opening a hotline to gather complaints, which it plans to present to the Ministry.