Danish government to cut billions from education

Colleges and universities to save 2 percent of their expenses

Colleges, universities and other educational institutions in Denmark must tighten their belts as the new Venstre government proposes to cut 8.7 billion kroner from its education budget over the next four years.

The new saving requirements come as a shock to the education sector, which unlike other public institutions, was for several years excluded from the general obligation to save 2 percent annually on expenses.

READ MORE: Contending with the dreaded higher education rejection slip

Under pressure
The government will leave it up to the headteachers to decide how the savings will be reached, and it is therefore not yet clear how each institution will be affected.

According to Yasmin Davali, the chairman of the Danish Union of Students, there is no doubt the savings will inevitably lead to poorer quality in an already hard-pressed education.

“Right now our education is so underfunded that our programs are on the verge of no longer being able to be defined as quality education,” Davali told Politiken newspaper.





  • How internationals can benefit from joining trade unions

    How internationals can benefit from joining trade unions

    Being part of a trade union is a long-established norm for Danes. But many internationals do not join unions – instead enduring workers’ rights violations. Find out how joining a union could benefit you, and how to go about it.

  • Internationals in Denmark rarely join a trade union

    Internationals in Denmark rarely join a trade union

    Internationals are overrepresented in the lowest-paid fields of agriculture, transport, cleaning, hotels and restaurants, and construction – industries that classically lack collective agreements. A new analysis from the Workers’ Union’s Business Council suggests that internationals rarely join trade unions – but if they did, it would generate better industry standards.

  • Novo Nordisk overtakes LEGO as the most desirable future workplace amongst university students

    Novo Nordisk overtakes LEGO as the most desirable future workplace amongst university students

    The numbers are especially striking amongst the 3,477 business and economics students polled, of whom 31 percent elected Novo Nordisk as their favorite, compared with 20 percent last year.