The Federation of Hes-SO Student Associations does not let go. last October, the management of the specialized high school in Western Switzerland announced that the half -yearly tax was going to increase this year. But the Federation, which wants students to be in training to be exempt from this increase, calls on the government committee to reconsider its position. A last chance letter was sent at the end of last week.
From the start of the school year in September, the cost of the semester will indeed go from 500 to 700 francs for Swiss students, and from 500 to 1050 francs for foreigners. An increase justified by a concern for harmonization of schooling costs between the different Swiss Hautes. And also by the fact that the costs had not changed since the creation of HES-SO in 1998. In total, some 21,000 students of 28 schools are impacted between French-speaking Switzerland and the French-speaking Bern.
But, for the factory of student associations of HES-SO, “the justification based on a principle of equal treatment is not satisfactory”. His co -president, Valentin Rey, explains that “many students are forced to work to finance their studies”, and that such a supplement “comes to preclude their living conditions and risks hindering their academic success, in a context where the cost of living increases”.
The FAE HES-SO is now awaiting a return. “It may also be that in the event of convincing arguments, the tax is accepted, although it is wrong,” says the interlocutor. The HES-SO has already recalled that it proposed, in parallel, scholarships and aid to students.
