Government proposes amendments to much-maligned university ‘progress reform’

Reform has been the target of protests and criticism since 2013

The government announced today that it wants to make amendments to the much-maligned university ‘progress reform’ to give universities more freedom and flexibility.

The reform, which was introduced in 2013, was intended to reduce the amount of time it takes Danish students to complete their university education, but it has been intensely unpopular with both students and faculty staff.

READ MORE: Copenhagen University threatens protesting students with police and expulsion

Esben Lunde Larsen, the education minister, said that while the proposed changes to the reform would give the universities more flexibility, there would still be an expectation that they reduced the study time.

“The progress reform isn’t working well enough. The reform has been a bureaucratic straight-jacket for both the universities and students. The government wants to change that. But we need to hold on to the intention, which is that students should be active during their studies – for their own sake and for society’s,” he said.

“Freedom and responsibility go hand in hand. The universities should have a more flexible framework in which to adjust according to their challenges and needs, and they should have greater flexibility to reach the goals on reducing study time.”

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