Students go on the warpath over fees

Austrian students are trying to force their government to halt plans to introduce tuition fees by the end of the year by taking the issue to the people.

The students' union, the OeH, is furious that the government decided to start charging for education less than a month after the education minister had pledged that it would remain free for all.

They described as an outrage the finance ministry's policy of helping to plug the hole in the nation's finances by taking money from students.

To secure a referendum, the OeH needs to present 100,000 signatures. This will allow them to raise the subject in parliament and force a plebiscite.

Martin Faisst, head of the OeH, said fees were unacceptable because the money would not be used to help struggling students - most of whom already work to make ends meet - but to bring the nation's finances under control.

"Our chancellor and the ministry of education do not have enough money to clear the budget deficit. They think the fees are a good way to raise an extra €360,000 (£230,000) but they will not be used to improve our education system," he said.

The OeH will challenge the government on other key areas if it wins the right to a referendum.

It intends to demand equal rights for foreign students in Austria and will also focus on the contracts that universities offer.

Mr Faisst said: "By law, these contracts guarantee even incompetent professors a job for life. They stifle innovation, which is crippling the system. It is impossible for good professors to earn more. Earnings are related to age and how long you've been in the job, not how you perform."

He said that rather than taxing students, the government should be working towards a system that is capable of generating its own income.

"We are not able to attract well-known names for research and teaching posts but such professors could improve resources and earnings. We need a system where the talented are respected and financially rewarded."

Austrian students are among the oldest in Europe. It is usual for 30-year-olds to be studying for their first degree. The country has difficulty supporting its large and long-term student population. Many feel that fees are the only way to encourage students to complete their degrees in the shortest possible time.

Mr Faisst said that a tax on slow completers would be ridiculous and added that keeping students out of pocket would not necessarily speed up the system.

He said: "Students are not to blame. There is too much administration. The organisation must start to see students as its customers and make every effort to help them finish as quickly as possible. At the moment it does the opposite."