Students across Denmark boycotted classes on Wednesday and marched through Copenhagen in protest against a government plan to cut SU student grants.
About 10,000 pupils and students were expected at Rådhuspladsen in central Copenhagen from around 12:30 on November 4. From there, the crowd was set to walk toward Christiansborg. The plan is described by DR, which is following the day in a live blog.
Alongside the march, around 30,000 upper-secondary students at 40 gymnasiums were expected to walk out of classes, according to DR. In total, 21 education organizations and political youth organizations are behind the action. DR’s live coverage noted students at Silkeborg Gymnasium preparing to leave and pupils in Kolding blocking a school corridor.
What the savings plan would change
The government proposal would remove SU from students living at home whose parents have a combined annual income above roughly 710,000 kroner, as reported by DR. For some households below that level, the grant would be reduced rather than removed. Jyllands-Posten reports the graduated reductions would apply between 419,589 kroner and 710,077 kroner in parental income.
The plan also contains a work requirement for graduates who want unemployment benefits after finishing their education. TV 2 reports that thousands of upper-secondary students are protesting against both parts of the package.
Buses from across the country
Participants travelled to the capital from several parts of Denmark. TV 2 reports that 19 buses brought demonstrators to Copenhagen for the event. The route from Rådhuspladsen to Christiansborg Slotsplads was also described in advance by CPH Post.
The demonstration is taking place while the proposal is still a government plan and not adopted law. The cited reporting from DR, TV 2 and Jyllands-Posten describes the thresholds and the work requirement as proposals under discussion.
What the SU plan means for international students in Denmark
SU, short for Statens Uddannelsesstøtte, is the Danish state grant paid monthly to students in higher education and upper-secondary education. The amount depends on factors including whether the student lives at home or away from home. The student grants scheme is a central part of how students in Denmark finance their studies.
The change reported by DR is tied to parental income for students living at home, so it is aimed at a specific group rather than at all SU recipients. Many international students in Denmark do not live with their parents in the country, and the cited reporting does not set out any separate rules for students with a foreign background. What is not yet known from the sources is how the proposal would be applied in individual cases, since it has not been adopted.
The second element, a work requirement for graduates seeking unemployment benefits, concerns the Danish dagpenge system run through an a-kasse. DR reports it as part of the same package, without detailing the required amount of work. Foreign residents who finish a Danish degree and then look for work would fall under whatever version of that rule is eventually passed.
