Huomio: Uta Oy in sight

The new Finnish Universities Act is a child of neo-liberalism. The introduction of tuition fees for students from non-EU/EEA countries will destroy equality among students in the short run. This will not only negatively affect international students, but also Finnish students, as the act would establish a precedence for charging fees from all students in the future; a possibility that is not to be underestimated. In the long run, the act is only the first step of reforming Finnish universities into enterprise-like and profit-oriented entities. Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen argues that the introduction of tuition fees would increase the attractiveness of Finnish universities abroad and contribute to their internationalization. The case of Denmark leading to a decline of applications by foreign students by nearly 40 per-cent after the introduction of tuition fees is a practical example proving the opposite. Still obedient to the dictate of neo-liberalism, paradoxically, the Prime Minister has obviously not understood the basic principles of a neo-liberal market economy and the interplay of supply and demand on a price-quantity chart. Moreover, quality is also a factor that is not to be underestimated, economic experts say. VanhanenÂ’s argumentation can for those reasons only leave perplexity and pitiful despair on our faces.

The prospect of depriving students and teachers from the ultimate decision making power in the board of the university only adds to the proliferation of neo-liberalism in FinlandÂ’s sector of higher education. But who else would be more suitable to decide on issues than those who work and live within the university milieu? The Finnish government apparently favours some external group to decide on the fate of Finnish universities; a group functioning like shareholders of the corporation UTA Oy? The new Finnish Universities Act clearly counteracts the elemental core idea of universities to be public institutions accessible to all for independent education and research, generators and providers of ideas and knowledge. These are values that form the cornerstones of any open and democratic society. Their promotion unfortunately does not enjoy highest priority everywhere in Europe. Two examples: The Netherlands charge tuition fees from any foreign student; equality among students is not known. Italian universities do not enjoy autonomy; effective systems of higher education look different. So far, Finland and the other Nordic societies have been seen as the strongholds of those values together with openness and equality also and especially in the higher education sector. With the new Finnish Universities Act, Finland is about to flush these values down the toilet. Therefore, action needs to be taken by students, teachers and anyone concerned as long as it not yet too late.

Lukas Wagner
Secretary for Education Policy, ISOT
(International Students of Tampere)
www.tamy.fi/isot