Last week, thousands of students entered campuses across the country. For the first time, many will live alone and live in crisis.
– The first thing to smoke is the food budget. All other bills like mobile and rent – fixed costs are irreversible.
Says biology student Justin Eskild, 24.
Indicates that three adults live together in the refrigerator. Photo: Ole Ines Epsen / TV2
The 24-year-old from Peruma was one of several students who received tight funding during the outbreak.
Depending on the help
Last year, Eskild, like many fellow students, had to go home.
– The budget is not enough, she says.
Eskild went home to Perum during the epidemics. Photo: Ole Ines Epsen / TV2
– If I did not work with my studies, I would have relied on help coming from home. As the Bergen University student says, I think my parents should give it up.
She only had to empty her savings account in the six months she was out of work.
Tight economy
In the spring of 2020, when much of the community closed, many students were laid off or fired from part-time jobs.
Students in the service industry, restaurant and nightlife businesses or part-time jobs in stores are particularly vulnerable.
– Extra scholarship came And legally delayed. According to Eskild, there were many who were reluctant to take out additional loans.
– Students today are not full-time students. If we could live on loans and scholarships I think many people would have been better students, says Justin Eskild.
1 in 3 has received poor advice
Donske Bank has noted how reduced labor supply during epidemics has affected the finances of Norwegian students.
– Students basically have tight finances, but they kept it tight during epidemics, says consumer economist Thea Olson.
– We see many students probably end up in red. Thea Olson, a consumer economist at Donskey Bank, says student loans are not enough. Photo: Koran Jorganovich / TV2
He says many will end up financially red after three semesters of epidemics. With tight funding, the food budget comes first:
One in three students has reduced their food budget during epidemics. On average, Olson says the cut is about a thousand kroner a month.
– Beyond community
The first thing to smoke is raw materials like fish and meat. There will be plenty of dinners with pasta and rice, says Eskild.
He says the tight economy also affects social life.
– I enjoy what I have to say I can’t because I can’t afford it. Money is also a very forbidden thing, so many people will not admit that they have no money because they have no money.
– Had to pick berries
Dua Totnem Lund, president of the Norwegian Student Organization, is concerned about students.
– One-third had to cut the food budget a painful number, but not surprisingly, he says.
The Norwegian student body is concerned about all students who have lost part-time jobs during epidemics. Photo: Tom Rune Arset / TV2
– We have heard horror stories about students who went to the forest to pick berries because they had no money for food. We want to do something that Norwegian students are very dependent on part-time work. Says Lund.
“Music geek. Coffee lover. Devoted food scholar. Web buff. Passionate internet guru.”
