No to Inequiality of Opportunity in Education at TUM and throughout Bavaria!

Today, we are united in our belief that education is a fundamental human right and we are raising our voices for equality and accessibility in education.

On January 1, 2023, the Innovation in Higher Education Act on Innovation in Higher Education (Bayerisches Hochschulinnovationsgesetz) came into force, making it possible for Bavarian universities to charge fees to students from outside the European Economic Area. The Technical University of Munich was the first university to decide to make use of this act by charging non-European undergraduate students 2000-3000 Euros per semester and graduate students 4000-6000 Euros per semester as of the winter semester 24/25.

This decision will have a negative impact on all students from foreign countries who, against all odds, come to Munich to study and build a better future, and furthermore, will lead some students to give up their dream of studying at the Technical University of Munich. It is discrimination in the truest sense of the word, that the country of origin determines who has to give up their dreams!

Education is a fundamental human right and should not recognize geographical boundaries. This right should not be bought and sold like a commodity. Imposing university tuition fees on the basis of citizenship will limit the opportunities of those who seek their right to education, further deepening and institutionalizing already growing inequalities.

Moreover, this decision is worrying and should be opposed, for it is a possible first step towards the commercialization of university education. In 2007, the State of Bavaria had already started to charge all students a tuition fee of 500 Euros on the grounds of improving the quality of education. However, the act was annulled in 2013 in the face of student and public outcry. Moreover, it turned out that the additional money from students was not allocated to education, but rather spent to close the budget deficit of universities. It is highly likely that university tuition fees, which today cover only one group, will be reformed tomorrow to cover everyone. It is disappointing for the future of the education system that such a policy change sets a negative example for the rest of Germany's universities. For a university that promotes intercultural interaction and cooperation, such a policy change undermines its own values, more than anything else.

A management approach dominated by commercial concerns, as opposed to universities being the guarantee of public access to knowledge and centers of free science, concerns the whole society. We need to stand together against such a transformation, as we did in the past against tuition fees charged to everyone.

Today, in Baden-Württemberg, where non-EU citizens are charged a fee of 1500 EUR, the ruling and opposition parties have agreed to repeal this law, after 7 years of its implementation. We do not accept an education policy that has failed in the past and has been abandoned in other states.

We call out to our fellow students from every country: This obstacle that is placed in front of us today may also be placed in front of you tomorrow. Together, in solidarity, we must oppose this practice.

We stand for an equal system where education is a right, not a privilege, and where everyone has access to this right regardless of which country's passport they carry. We call on the Technical University of Munich to withdraw this decision and abolish university tuition fees.