The European Students Union has outlined a feature in the Policy Document for 2019. It has urged the Governments and Universities to do better and provide great support to the international students.
The institutions of higher education
There are many challenges for the European Students Union like the visas and permit issues, imposition of extra tuition fees. Additionally the present framework for global students fails to promote access to education, as per this document. This group represents 45 National Unions of Students spread over 39 countries.
Some of the institutions of higher education use mobility for promoting themselves in competition globally, and also make a profit out of global students. The purpose of mobility in fact has to be in improving education quality, through increasing international outlook, and also circulation of knowledge, apart from building of understanding between cultures, independence, and a variety of new skills in students.
The objective, moreover, for the governments in Europe, must be to focus on access to education while making the universities funding sustainable. The ESU has listed a few recommendations for internationalization as well as learning mobility.
Other matters - the EU citizenship
This also deals with the issues of offering, financial support at all levels and cycles, quality education and for the better quality of learning. International study unlike today should not be a privilege for the wealthy, nor should money be the foremost curb, for students to travel overseas for studying.
There must be adequate grants for covering the living cost and emergency travel, besides transport subsidies and language courses that do not have a tuition-fee. The global students should be in a position to afford the similar tuition fee, despite the status of EU citizenship.
The grants for the Erasmus+ program must target students from groups that have a low representation, to broaden the participation and also adjust to cover the study/living costs of the local destination.
Free movement for EU students
Moreover, there are the barriers of inconsistency and bureaucracy for students in attaining visa, and residency permit apart from the work authorizations. Finally, there was a recommendation to abolish the student visas and permits fee.
Additionally, there has to be a free movement for EU students, who stay for studying or taking an educational training, as also for staff members, teachers, and researchers. The costs for students on EU visa procedure, travel to embassies, preparation of documents, the translation costs, and meeting the obligations of financial statements and proof of savings for the complete stay period and the visa fee, affect the study accessibility in a negative manner.
The group urged, for all information to be transparent, and accessible online, to all EU students, in the domain of accessibility of institutions as well as student housing.
The nature and scope of the ESU
The European Students Union was established in 1982, and represents 20 million European students. It has an aim of promoting their interests in the economic, educational, social, and cultural fields. It is the platform for the students to hold training, seminars, research projects and partnership. Finally, it publishes much matter for students, policy-makers and professionals in the higher education.
