Nieuws - 22 maart 2011

Zijlstra says no to tuition fee exemption for student executives

Fulltime student executives may not remove their names from the student register, rules state secretary Zijlstra. This appeal was made earlier by VVD member of parliament Anne-Wil Lucas so that students with an executive function would not end up with so much study delay for which they would be fined.

According to Zijlstra, it would be unfair to make an exception for a small group of students by giving them the possibility to be removed from the student register temporarily. This would in fact put others at a disadvantage, he writes in his submission to the Dutch Lower House.
Such a ruling would moreover burden the institutions with extra administrative work and use up more of their profiling funds. The state secretary says he does not intend to do so.
ISO President Guy Hendricks does not agree: 'We are not asking for extra study grants or more money for student executives. We only ask that they be exempted from paying tuition fees if they aren't following any study courses, and that their year in office not be counted as study delay.'
Hendricks says that this is not about giving preferential treatment to a small group. 'The ruling is in fact meant for students in participational bodies who would then have more time to perform their duties. This is not only good for them, but above all, will result in a better participational structure.'