RPT: REVIEW - Russian Speaking Diaspora Urges Macron Not To Raise University Fees For Foreigners

PARIS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th December, 2018) Representatives of the Russian speaking diaspora in France have sent an appeal to French President Emmanuel Macron, asking him to reconsider plans to significantly raise tuition fees for non-EU students, the chairman of the coordination council of Russian compatriots in France Georgy Shepelev told Sputnik.

A Sputnik correspondent talked to applicants and students of French universities, some of whom would have to change their plans due to the decision of the country's government.

While introducing a new strategy to make education in the country more attractive, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said in the end of November that there were about 320,000 foreign students studying in France. The goal of the French government is to increase the number of foreign students to 500,000 by 2027. To achieve this, the French authorities intend to improve the conditions for admission and simplify the procedure for obtaining student visas.

Along with these measures, Philippe also said that international students at French universities would have to pay higher enrollment fees, describing the current situation with fees as unfair to French students.

Philippe stressed that the increased fees amounted only to one-third of the actual cost of education, while the rest two-thirds of the cost would still be paid by the French state. At the same time, he noted that the cost of education in France would still remain significantly lower, compared to several other European countries.

The cost of attending a French university for students from outside the European Union for the 2018-2019 academic year is 170 Euros ($193) for a bachelor degree. A master degree costs 243 euros, while a PhD costs 380 euros. According to the French center for information on higher education Campus France, the cost of the academic year in 2019-2020 for non-EU citizens will rise up to 2,770 euros for a degree and 3,700 euros for the two higher qualifications. Thus, the tuition fee will increase fifteen- or sixteen-fold.

New fees will not apply to students who attend French universities in the framework of inter-university cooperation programs. The new rules will not concern the citizens of the European Union and Switzerland, nationals from Quebec � a French-speaking Canadian province � as well as those foreign students who have already entered French universities and are not moving from one study program to another.

The news about tuition fees' increase sparked serious concerns among students. The representatives of the Russian speaking diaspora called on Macron to reconsider this decision.

"We, the representatives of the Russian speaking diaspora in France who gathered at the annual forum, express our deep concern over the plan to further increase tuition fees for foreign students in higher education institutions of France," the coordination council of Russian compatriots said in a statement.

The authors of the document pointed out that a significant increase in the university fees would "close the multicultural space" for hundreds of thousands of foreign students, and would make the selection process more focused on economic criteria rather than skills.

"It is also clear that the introduction of a distinction between 'Europeans' and 'non-Europeans' does not contribute to social cohesion in France, setting a dangerous precedent for segregation. Therefore, we urge the French state to find other ways to maintain the economic viability of the French university system, without affecting its democratic reputation or international fame or principles of the French Republic - Liberty, Equality, Fraternity," the document said.

According to Shepelev, the appeal of the Russian diaspora is not the only one as many other activists are working on petitions.

"I see that many of my university colleagues are going down the same path, collecting petitions, collecting signatures. It is clear that one statement, of course, will not change anything, but if there are a lot of such statements ... And I see that the process is already underway," Shepelev, who teaches at the National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilizations (INALCO), said.

Anna, a third-year student at the New Sorbonne University told Sputnik that the decision of the French government to raise the cost of education in universities had come as a "real shock" for her.

"I never truly believed until now that such a law could be introduced and I will have to pay 3,700 euros instead of 320 euros for my master's program. I am now in my third year, I have two years more to get my master's degree. That means that I will have to pay almost 7,500 euros to complete my studies and get a diploma," she noted.

The student expressed her hope that the increase in university fees would not affect her, since she had the French equivalent of the Russian Unified State Exam.

"When I found out about the increase in fees, my first thought was: 'I will just leave France,' because it is already a bit hard for me to pay for food and for rent. Basically, life here is quite expensive," the student said.

She pointed out that about 30 percent of students at her university were foreigners, and university professors were against raising the cost of education for them.

"When there are 30 percent of foreigners at the university, it is very good for the university itself, for its status. France also has a policy that everyone can study, from a person who came from the French countryside to foreign students - Chinese, Russians and so on. A lot of different nationalities are here," she said.

According to Anna, it is unfair that now the government wants to raise the cost of the education for non-EU students.

"If it [the law] is passed, then I will most likely leave France, because for me, personally, this is a huge sum, which neither I nor my family can afford. I think that many foreigners will leave the Sorbonne and leave France if the price is raised," she concluded.

Natalia, a student from Kiev, who is at her sixth year in a medical university in Paris, also said that she would not be able to cope with an increased financial burden.

"I have checked at the faculty, in the secretariat, I was told that this applies only to those who will enroll, but not to those who are already studying. But I may be affected, since I am going to internship next year ... But if it is applied to me, then I will have to look for another country to study in," she told Sputnik.

Alena from Moscow, who was only going to enter one of the French universities next year, noted that the fees' surge would make it possible only for rich foreign students to study in France.

"I was unable to come when the education was free, because I could not cover my living expenses. And now I have also to save up to study, so I will not be able to go. Now all those who did not get a scholarship will not be able to go, or only children of rich parents will go. It was said that by doing so [the government] wanted to boost motivation, so the most motivated ones will go, but in fact only the richest ones will," Alena added.

The student expressed regret that she had to say goodbye to her dream of studying in France.