Repayment of Dutch study finance debts eased

The Daily Herald reports that (former) Dutch Caribbean students in the Netherlands can make use of a more lenient arrangement to repay their study debt.

Graduated students of the islands have been facing problems with repaying their study debt, which is in euros. Many of them have payment arrears because their salary is paid in the local currency and they simply can’t afford the high monthly pay-off.

This resulted in the Dutch study financing organisation DUO making use of local bailiffs to force payment, which led to even higher expenses for the graduated students.

The study financing organisations on the islands and DUO have been working on a more lenient repayment arrangement, which is good news for the graduated students who have returned to their native island.

Further,  the Social Loan System, a legislation proposal of the Dutch government to be handled by the First Chamber of the Dutch Parliament later this month, would enable students of the islands to use Dutch study financing to study in the Caribbean region. Under this new study financing system, Dutch Caribbean students will be treated equal to students from the Netherlands.