Join us in Bern, Wednesday October 1st at 5pm !
Find us under the AGEPoly banner.
⌚️ Meet at the EPFL Metro at 14h40.
🚂 3:08 p.m. train, Track 3 at Renens Station.
Since 2003, Switzerland has had a debt brake in place to ensure sound public finances. During COVID, Switzerland took on exceptional debt to keep the country and its services running. The Federal Council therefore commissioned experts to draft a report with recommendations for reducing Switzerland's debt, with the aim of cutting federal spending by CHF 4 to 5 billion. The Gaillard report proposes budget cuts in both related and unrelated spending and is therefore the subject of heated parliamentary debate.
Types of federal expenditure in Switzerland
Related expenses: These are set by law or even the Constitution, preventing the federal government or cantons from deciding to reduce them in the short term.
Non-mandatory spending: This is referred to as “budget flexibility,” meaning that Parliament or the government can adjust it more freely from one year to the next according to priorities. These expenditure items are: training and research, the military, agriculture, and international cooperation.
(The military budget has been increased and farmers have a much stronger lobby than ours in Parliament, so we'll let you figure out who's getting hit hard 😉 )
" The expert group sees potential in higher education institutions to increase user financing, for example by doubling tuition fees for domestic students and quadrupling them for foreign students. It recommends reducing contributions to the Federal Institutes of Technology and basic contributions to cantonal universities in line with the additional revenue that could be generated by this measure."
– Excerpt from the Report “2024 review of tasks and subsidies,” says the Gaillard Report, page 43
Why oppose these measures?
- Social Filter
Students must have equal access to education regardless of their social background. Equal opportunities and inclusivity are threatened by these austerity measures, as people with lower incomes will no longer be able to attend university. 25% of EPFL students say they work to finance their studies, which is a huge burden on top of the 60 hours of work required for their courses. These measures risk further destabilizing students, a social class already in financial difficulty. - Let's not compare ourselves to Anglo-Saxon models!
Ce n’est pas normal de s’endetter sur des dizaines d’années pour pouvoir faire ses études ! Dans certains pays, il est commun de payer plusieurs dizaines de milliers de francs pour poursuivre des études supérieures. Ainsi, une partie très privilégiée de la société ne peut s’engager dans cette voie. Ce ne sont pas nos valeurs ! Inspirons-nous plutôt de nos voisins européens comme l’Allemagne ou les pays scandinaves où les études sont presque gratuites. - Paradigm shift
Students are seen as users of universities rather than as people who contribute to and improve society. We deplore this growing reluctance toward the academic world. Education is the foundation of a strong and sustainable society.
You disagree with these measures ? Just like us !
Let's go protest together! On Wednesday October 1st in Bern, the National Union of Students in Switzerland (UNES) organises a big protest on the Federal Place. Let's go together: Meet at 14h40 at EPFL Metro. We will take the train at 15h08, Track 3, at Renens Station !
What are others doing ?
If you would like to learn more about the mobilization: Education should not be a luxury – students gather in Bern | VSS UNES USU
If you would like to participate in related events, check out the program of activities organized at UNIL by the FAE: Mobilisations contre la hausse des taxes et les coupes dans la recherche – FAE