Federal finances National Council sets budget priorities in the education sector
When discussing the 2025 federal budget, the National Council slightly increased expenditure in the education sector compared to the Federal Council's draft. However, there will be less money for scholarships for foreign students and for exchange programs.
05.12.2024, 10:12
SDA
During the two-hour debate on Thursday, the large chamber followed the proposals of its Finance Committee - with one exception: at the request of a minority, it decided to reduce the contribution to Pro Helvetia by CHF 1.5 million.
At the request of the conservative majority, loans for scholarships for foreign students in Switzerland will also be reduced by CHF 4.8 million and funding for international mobility and cooperation activities in the field of education by CHF 2.6 million.
In addition, the National Council no longer wants to know about the financial aid of CHF 2 million for the digital transformation of society and the economy of high public interest. This contribution to the Federal Chancellery is to be scrapped completely.
More money for daycare places
Otherwise, the National Council implemented the parliamentary resolutions passed in the fall on the education dispatch (ERI dispatch) and the culture dispatch. The Confederation is to provide the ETH Domain with an additional CHF 12.5 million and research funding institutions with an additional CHF 3.4 million.
The upper chamber also approved more money than requested by the Federal Council for museums, collections and third-party networks (+ CHF 0.5 million), for newly created daycare places (+ CHF 6.9 million) and for the promotion of extracurricular work with children and young people (+ CHF 0.3 million).
Other minority motions that sought to either increase or reduce funding for various items in the education and culture sector were unsuccessful. For example, the SVP parliamentary group tried unsuccessfully to cut around CHF 40 million from the ETH Domain and around CHF 30 million from research funding.
