The LSVb has been fighting for students’ interests for 35 years, but what does that actually mean? On this page, we want to give you the highlights of what we do. Here you will find an overview of the major events, actions and demonstrations organised by the LSVb since 2015.
2018 – Abolish the debt system
On 14 November 2018, more than 300 students took to the streets in The Hague. They all wanted one thing: the student loan system must be abolished. The student loan system is creating a generation that is deeply in debt, and that should not be allowed to happen. The students marched from Lange Voorhout to the OCW building to express their dissatisfaction with the system. LSVb chair Carline van Breugel: ‘Give students a future again, get rid of the debt system and bring back the basic grant.’
2017 – The diversity café
Diversity and inclusivity are important themes for the LSVb. Everyone should be able to feel at home at a college or university. We discussed this on 6 July 2017. Not only lecturers and experts, but also the students themselves had their say. Because they are the ones who need to feel at home. During this evening, we gained important input for our vision on diversity and inclusivity, with which we are fighting to make all students feel more at home.
2017 – The student chooses
In the run-up to the elections in March 2017, we brought a stage to Delft University of Technology where we could really grill the politicians about their plans for students in the Netherlands. During “The student chooses”, the politicians present shared their views on the student loan system, compulsory military service for students, student public transport and more with a packed audience of students. The students also had plenty of questions to ask these politicians.
2016 – The museum of education cuts
With a 50-metre banner, students in The Hague announced that it was time to invest in education. The banner showed that there have been severe cuts in (higher) education for 35 years. So it is high time to invest properly. Curious about the entire banner? You can download the PDF here.
2016 – The Youth Congress
Twenty-five different youth parties came together in 2015 for the 2016 Youth Congress. Here we presented the youth manifesto, a vision for the future of education that we all want to work towards. They want more freedom for students, equal opportunities for every student, a focus on personal development, affordable education and equal recognition for vocational, higher professional and university education.
2015 – Stop the Loan System
In 2015, student finance changed. Before 2015, students received a basic grant, whereby students received money to study depending on their living situation. If a student needed more, they could borrow additional funds. From 2015 onwards, this became the loan system. Under this system, students borrow their entire student finance and must therefore repay everything. This means that students have to graduate with enormous debts and many students no longer dare to continue their studies for fear of high debt. Studying should not be reserved for the elite. That is what these students stand for.