Laurea University of Applied Sciences announced on Thursday, October 28th that it would implement cost-cutting measures in 2022. Next year, the university will refrain from recruiting new staff, cut costs, reduce offered courses and reduce the number of teaching groups. Due to the measures, substitutes will not be hired and staff will not be allowed to work overtime. Management staff, including the rector, will use part of their schedules to perform the basic day-to-day tasks. Laureamko does not support the university’s cost-cutting plans. A university that has turned a profit for many consecutive years can afford a single year of budget deficit.
The student union is deeply concerned about the impact cost-saving measures will have on the university community. The Covid-19 Pandemic has tried both students and staff, and there has been constant concern over the well-being of our community. Just as the situation is improving, the cost-saving measures announced by the university throw into doubt our community’s hopes of a return to normal.
Cost-cutting measures that affect staff and teaching will mean that the university’s future curriculum will be narrower and teachers busier. Diverse study paths will be and increasingly important requirement in future working life, and this is an ominous trend in terms of students’ skills and the quality of Laurea’s degrees.
“In terms of the quality of studies, the situation is critical. The number of students at the university is constantly growing, as are the university’s degree goals. At the same time, the university is planning measures that will put the resilience of staff to extremes and will inevitably be reflected in the quality of teaching and student guidance. It is difficult to see how the university would be able to significantly increase its graduates in this situation.”, commented Carita Törhönen, Chair of Laureamko’s Board.
The university’s plans to stabilize its finances are based on increasing the number of graduates. Achieving these degree goals will require significant efforts from the university community. The student body believes that short-sighted cost-saving measures will jeopardize the achievement of graduate goals and could, at worst, could lead to worsening scarcity.
Additional information:
Carita Törhönen, Chairman of the Board, Laureamko
044 287 7151
[email protected]
Janne Silajärvi, Executive Director, Laureamko
044 313 0112
[email protected]