In recent years, two studies were carried out on the Student Finance Act BES. These studies examined whether the current student finance amounts are sufficient to cover both study and living expenses at the destinations where students pursue their education. The findings confirmed what many families already experience: for most study destinations, the current student finance is not enough to meet the real costs.
On September 19, the Minister of Education, Culture and Science will send a letter to the Dutch House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer) in response to these studies. In this letter, the Minister will announce new measures to strengthen the financial position of BES students.
A structural budget of €1.2 million will be allocated within the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW) to make these improvements possible. To carry out the measures, a legislative amendment is required. As part of this process, the government will look specifically at which changes will be made, with an increase in student finance amounts being one of the key considerations.
The legislative process will start soon, and the Public Entity Saba will continue to follow developments closely and keep the community informed. This is a positive and long-awaited step forward for the students of Saba and the wider BES.
