Last Tuesday, the Minister of Education, Culture and Science, Eppo Bruins, gave the Dutch Parliament a further explanation of his plans on internationalisation of higher education in a parliamentary letter. This is an important letter: the new cabinet's plans on this topic are explained in more detail for the first time. The University of Twente's Executive Board has taken note of the letter with great concern. The parliamentary letter contains potentially more far-reaching intentions than previous government plans showed. And that could have major consequences for UT.
Assignment from Parliament
A majority in Dutch Parliament has instructed the minister to limit internationalisation in higher education. In short: reduce the number of international students and ensure more Dutch language use at universities and universities of applied science. A number of challenges lie ahead, such as a shortage of student accommodation in some student cities and capacity at some universities. A majority of Parliament believes more Dutch-taught programmes would remove barriers for prospective students. This should also improve language skills.
To realise this, the minister is working on two instruments (among others): the Internationalisation in Balance Act and the Test of Foreign Language Education (‘Toets Anderstalig Onderwijs’ in Dutch). Together, they should form the new legal framework for all bachelor's programmes in higher education. According to the letter, the Toets Anderstalig Onderwijs is to be given stricter criteria to judge whether a study programme may be taught in a language other than Dutch.
UT currently has 15 English-language and four Dutch-language bachelor's programmes, and one programme will be offered in both Dutch and English starting next year. All English-language programmes must, therefore, be reassessed to determine whether they may be taught in English. This is subject to strict criteria to determine its necessity.
In his letter, the minister indicates that he only wants to allow very limited exceptions to courses offered in Dutch. While exceptions are possible, for instance, for border regions and programs that contribute to sectors with a labour market shortage, the letter explicitly warns that only very limited exceptions are possible. This puts pressure on many bachelor programmes at UT.
Uncertainty about effects
The exact effects we can expect are not clear yet. This creates many uncertainties, not least for our staff and students.
But we will have to await further elaboration, which we expect to come in the coming months. As we indicated earlier, the devil is in the details. What is, in any case, clear is that we have to expect far-reaching consequences. Also financially, as the plans for fewer international students also include a budget cut of almost EUR 300 million (nationally) in 2029.
In the coming period, together with the faculty boards and programme directors, we will further consider what possible consequences await us and how to deal with them appropriately. We have already been working on that, for instance, by investigating the possibility of bilingual programmes. It is now known that offering bilingual courses is not viewed as an acceptable solution. However, we will also continue to explore other options and scenarios.
We are already proactively working on several issues. For instance, we understand the call for more attention to Dutch in higher education. We are happy to contribute to this, with more focus on the Dutch language for both our Dutch and international students. We are convinced that more attention to the Dutch language and room for internationalisation can coexist perfectly well. That way, we can be an open and accessible university where the much-needed talent of tomorrow is educated.
Need for international students and staff
Until the plans are finalised, we will continue to emphasise to policymakers the need for international education and sensible policies that support this.
We have always argued strongly for the added value of international students and staff for the academic community, but also for the city, the (cross-border) region and the Netherlands as a whole. As a university, we fulfil an important social task. We educate for crucial professions in our labour market, particularly for many sectors facing major personnel shortages. These shortages threaten the prosperity of the Netherlands and are already being felt in many places. In the coming years, these shortages will further increase.
We are a crucial link in the regional economy that counts as an important breeding ground for innovation in the Netherlands, and our current and future alumni are worth a great deal for the Dutch economy and society. We can only continue to fulfil this role if we keep an outward focus.
UT's importance is recognised by regional governments, entrepreneurs and other educational institutions in the region. In early 2023, we sent a joint letter (pdf, in Dutch) about our concerns to the minister. It is highly disappointing and incredibly worrying that the minister is not talking to the region directly about this. Therefore, we will invite him to have that conversation with us at short notice.
Read the response to the parliamentary letter from Universiteiten van Nederland.
