FINLAND

Bid to introduce student tuition fees finds resistance
A proposal by the Research Institute of the Finnish Economy to allow higher education institutions to introduce tuition fees for students from Finland and the rest of the European Economic Area has been met with resistance from the ranks of the Finnish government, writes Aleksi Teivainen for Helsinki Times.“[The Research Institute of the Finnish Economy or] ETLA’s proposal on tuition fees [goes] against the government programme. The National Coalition won’t support it,” said Sanni Grahn-Laasonen (NCP), the Minister of Education and Culture. The Centre Party has similarly categorically rejected the proposal.
ETLA recently estimated that the introduction of tuition fees would offset the negative effects of the recent cuts in research and education spending. Investments in research and education, it reminded, are crucial for the long-term growth prospects of Finland.
Full report on the Helsinki Times site