Implementation of a planned university reform aimed at getting students to complete their studies faster will be postponed after studies showed it could have the opposite effect, Politiken newspaper reports.

The reform, which resulted in mass student demonstrations last week, and which universities themselves oppose, would seek to set minimum requirements for the number of courses students must be enrolled in each year.

The changes were due to take effect in September, but the higher-education minister, Morten Østergaard, said he would ask parliament to postpone implementation a year after it became apparent universities would not be ready.

More bureaucracy
In addition, Østergaard said he would propose that the reform, when it takes effect, apply only to new students.

According to universities the reform would have created an extra layer of bureaucracy that would likely have made it more difficult for students to complete their studies on time.

The reform seeks to reduce the average amount of time it takes students to complete a five-year university programme by 4.6 months, which would lead to a savings of 800 million kroner.