MiFA loses funding

– I don’t feel that we are getting anywhere with the University Board. We have been able to do quite a lot despite our limited resources, and the results have been very good, Nirmala Eidsgård says. She is the project manager at Minorities in Focus in Academia (MiFA).

The University Board has decided to cut the funding for MiFA. In the past, the project has received 1.5 million kroner in financial support.

– The budget cut is made at the expense of a group of people who are already underprivileged.

MiFA works to raise the percentage of minority students in higher education, and has a number of ongoing recruitment measures directed towards junior and senior high schools. In Oslo alone, 30 per cent of the pupils are of ethnic minority backgrounds. Still, only 11 per cent of the students at the University of Oslo are from this group.

– Helping children with homework and providing information to both children and parents are some of the things we are involved with. The schools that are taking part in these projects have already seen a tremendous change, as the recruitment has increased with 37 per cent. The good results prove that our work is important, Eidsgård says.

Member of the University Board, Nils Damm Christophersen, was one of the people who agreed to cut the financial support to MiFA.

– The work MiFA does is important, but the board has many good projects and when we need to cut 205 million kroner it is important to look at the big picture, he says.

President of the Student Parliament, Heine Skipenes, declares that he finds it extremely disappointing that the funding for MiFA is being cut.

– This is the only work that is being done in order to recruit students with minority backgrounds to the university, and it will be a tremendous set-back if the project is closed.

According to Eidsgård, the University Board is trying to find a solution to the problem.

– We will fight to get the money we need. Among other things, we plan to contact the local council and several of the ministries to see if this could be brought in under one of their support schemes.