Friborg Leads โthe Way, Offering Scholarships to โขStudents โคwith S and F Permits
FRIBOURG, SWITZERLANDโข – students in the canton of Friborgโค holding S โค(protection status) and F (provisional admission) permits are nowโข eligible for study scholarships, a benefit unique among French-speaking cantons. The move, effectiveโ thisโฃ academic year as universities and high schools reopen this Monday, aims โฃto facilitate access โขtoโ education and integration for โฃindividuals with these permits.
While Friborg extends scholarship eligibility to both S and F permit holders,โฃ other French-speaking cantons offer support with limitations. Vaud,Neuchรขtel,and Valaisโ provide scholarships only to those with โF permits. Jura’s support is even more restricted, extending to only some F permit holders. Geneva requires five years of residency for aid eligibility, irrespective of permit type.
“I need this scholarship toโ buy books. It’s very expensive in Switzerland!” shared โฃAnastasiia Fedorova, a Ukrainian student with an S permit attending the Haute Ecole de Travail social in Friborg, in a recent interview with RTS. Fedorova arrived in Switzerland two and a half years ago and is pursuing studies in social work as her priorโ university degrees are not currently recognized within the Swiss system.
Pierre Pillonel,head of โthe Friborg service of training subsidies,explainedโ that Friborg’s decision aligns โขwith the Swiss concordat requiring refugee access to study scholarships,but the canton chose to be more expansive in its support. “The objective of this decision is to integrate these people and to give access to the training,” Pillonel stated.
Authorities estimate approximately 100 individuals โwith S permits could benefit from theโข scholarships inโ 2024. the program isโ designed to reduce reliance on social assistance, as scholarships, unlike social aid, areโฃ not โขtypically refundable, according to Etienne Guerry,โค coordinator at theโค Friborg Service of Social Action. “The aim of these training subsidies is to grant scholarships rather thanโข social assistance,” Guerry confirmed.
Fedorova, like many students, hopes theโ scholarship โฃwill ease the financial burdenโข of her studies and allow her to focus on her education.