Hundreds of students protest against increase in student debt

 On Friday, 14 November, hundreds of students came to Dam Square to protest against the increase in student debt with DWARS. 

This is a plan by Education Minister Van Engelshoven, who wants to raise the interest rate on student loans. This could make studying thousands of euros more expensive, make education less accessible and make it harder for students to take out a mortgage later, for example.

Speaking at the protest were MPs Zihni Özdil (GroenLinks) and Frank Futselaar (SP). Özdil was critical of the plan: "If one of my students had submitted this, I wouldn't have even checked it!"

Besides DWARS, young people from political youth organisations ROOD and Jonge Socialisten were also represented. FNV Jong and student organisations ASVA and Humanities Rally were also present.

However, the students at the demonstration had more to be angry about: this measure is yet another contribution to the increasingly dire situation of students. Addressing the protesters, our president Julia said, "We were told that we can achieve anything. 'If you try hard, you can get a good job!' But we don't get jobs because we don't have experience, and we don't get experience because there is no work!" she said. "The stress generation is rising. And the stress generation says: promised is promised. But promises are broken, and enough is enough."

Photo: Romy Fernandez