The left-wing opposition parties agree with the bill on the reintroduction of the basic grant. They are, however, disappointed with the amounts that the government has earmarked for this. The House of Representatives debated the proposal on Wednesday, which should ensure that students receive monthly payments from September onwards.
The opposition parties are happy that the loan system is being reversed, but they think the monthly amount is too low. When the basic grant is introduced, students living at home will receive 110 euros and students living away from home will receive 275 euros.
“This is almost as much as when I was a student,” says Peter Kwint (SP). “And that while all costs have gone up.” GroenLinks, PvdA, Party for the Animals and DENK also think this amount is too low. That is why the parties want to know how Minister Robbert Dijkgraaf (Education) arrived at this amount.
The compensation for the ‘unlucky generation’ is also insufficient, according to the opposition parties. This concerns students who studied under the loan system and therefore did not receive a basic grant. Minister Dijkgraaf wants to give them compensation of a total of 1,400 euros. According to Volt, this amount is “not even a towel for the bleeding”.
