Social scholarships for university studies look set to expand and support more students
Social scholarships, which provide financial aid for studying at university, are a vital source of income for academically aspirational students from low-income families. Only five hundred students currently receive them in Czechia, but this now looks set to change.
While the tuition fees may be covered by the state in Czechia, going to university still involves a lot of costs for Czech students. The cost of daily necessities, such as accommodation and groceries, may be prohibitively expensive for some. This may then limit them in their options, requiring them to work alongside their studies or continue to live with their parents, rather than moving away to the university that is right for them. Jakub Sláma, chairman of the Student Chamber of the Council of Universities, has been monitoring and working to improve the situation:
“Approximately one third of students would not be able to study if they did not work while studying. Up to a quarter of all university students in Czechia face financial problems during their studies.”
In such cases, a stipend from the state can make a world of difference, which is why the Student Chamber has been striving to increase its accessibility.
“Currently, only a student from a family whose income is lower than 1.5 times the subsistence minimum can qualify for a social scholarship. In the case of a model family of two parents and two children, this means a maximum monthly income of approximately 23,000 crowns, and in the case of a single mother with two children, the limit is even lower than the minimum wage. Of course, we consider this to be a completely inadequate and dysfunctional setting,” says Jakub Sláma.
This high threshold for qualification has meant that only five hundred students are currently in receipt of a social scholarship – or about two per thousand of all university students, which is the lowest proportion in the EU. It means that many potential students from families just over the qualification limit do not go to university, as sociologist Daniel Prokop explains:
“The child is entitled to one if the family has an income of up to 22,000 crowns, for all members, which is simply extreme poverty. Many students whose families have an income of 30,000 or 35,000 crowns cannot financially afford to study.”
This consequently has an effect on the number of students overall; Czechia has the third lowest share of the twenty-seven countries of the EU. However, a change to the requirements now seems close, which would allow hundreds or even thousands of new students to qualify for a social scholarship. MPs with both the ruling coalition and opposition parties have lent their support to raising the threshold so that more students can receive the contribution, currently worth around five thousand crowns per month. The Pirates and the Freedom and Direct Democracy party (SPD) support the most generous increase under consideration, which is consistent with the demands of student organisations.
With such cross-party support, the proposal has a chance of success, and may be voted on in the Chamber of Deputies in the coming weeks. The proposed changes would also make social scholarships easier to apply for, and would be handled by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, rather than individual universities.
