Students raise discrimination, high tax in Denmark with PM

COPENHAGEN, Dec 17: With 50 to 60 hours of work per week and the heavy load of assignments they are supposed to complete, the Nepali students in Denmark are facing one of their worst nightmares. The young boys and girls who reach this second expensive city in the world, Copenhagen (after Oslo, Norway), now see their dreams shattered.



The number of Nepali students has risen from 141 in 2006 to 712 in 2008, and even more are expected to enter Denmark in coming years - only the figures from China and United States are higher. [break] With little exception the students are recruited by agents in Nepal, and each student pays a certain fee to the agents. The amount together with the school fees is Rs 150,000 per student. However, neither the agents, nor the schools seem to have honestly informed the candidates about their duties, rights or what educational background is needed to complete the studies.



"At least 75% of Nepali students fail to graduate because of lack of financial means and as a consequence are immediately expelled from Denmark," Hans Frederik Dydensborg, a Danish advocate, told Republica, adding, "That way, more than 500 students return empty-handed from here every year, and the number will now increase."



Frederik has been working free of cost for the students.



"The eternal dilemma is if you work too much, you cannot study and if you study too much you cannot pay tuition fees," Frederik added.



No student can enter Denmark without paying the tuition fee for one semester which is around Rs 100,000. Majority of the students have mortgage loans in Nepali banks. The situation is aggravated with language difficulties and very little information disseminated by the agencies who send them here. Einstein International (Inc), Softwerica, Newton and Boston are few consultancies in Kathmandu that regularly send students here.



Normally, one pupil pays up to Rs 500,000 per semester (6 months), which per month works out to be Rs 84,000. They are offered a work permit of 15 hours per week and full time for three summer months (June-August). They pay 8% tax in their total income, which on an average is 6,000 kroner (100 kroner per hour) per month. Of the remaining amount, tax up to 3,700 kroner comes free, but out of the remaining amount (1,820 kroner), they pay 38% tax.



"The tax system is discriminatory as it is high and in comparison to other foreign students. The ceiling is too high for us," Ranjan Ojha, the president of Nepalis Students´ Network in Denmark told Republica.



The tax ceiling for Chinese, American, Pakistani and Indian students is higher. While for the Nepali students the tax leverage is up to 3,700 kroner only, the same for Chinese and Indian is 10,000 kroner. However, those earning below 3,700 kroner pay only 8%.



Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, who interacted with the Non-Resident Nepali (NRN) community and representatives of the student body upon his arrival, has given assurance that their valid demands will be taken up with the Danish authorities



Meanwhile, the NRN Association in Denmark has been voicing the concerns of the students and Nepalis living here. Besides their demand for double citizenship and investment, the association has joined hands with the students groups to support their demands. Mahesh Kansakar of NRN Association Denmark said, "All the sides are to be blamed in this - those schools which hurriedly take in students in lure of fees, the greedy agents and the students who rush at every chance."

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