The proposed national budget cuts to higher education have been partially reversed. That is the outcome of the political debate on the subject that took place in recent weeks. Whereas the initial plans envisaged a EUR 2 billion cut in education, a significant part of this has now been reversed. While some adjustments that have been made are positive for higher education and the Twente region, we are concerned that much of the cuts are being continued.
The continued plans will have a major impact on education and research in the Netherlands. The umbrella organisation Universities of the Netherlands calculated that 90 per cent of the cuts to science will be continued. This is disastrous for the innovative power of the Netherlands, which is needed from both a societal and economic perspective. Read UNL's response on their website.
There are some bright spots, though. For instance, part of the cutback on internationalisation has been reversed. And the long-term study fine (langstudeerboete) will not be introduced. This is important for current and prospective students, who will, therefore, not be punished for study delays due to, for instance, a board year, informal (family) care or personal circumstances beyond their control. This takes a lot of stress off students.
Cuts to internationalisation partly reversed
One of the for UT most important adjustments to the budget cuts is the reversal of part of the planned cuts to internationalisation. This involves adjusting the Internationalisation in Balance Act and accompanying Toets Anderstalig Onderwijs (assessment for study programmes to determine the required instruction language) in such a way that they will have a less negative impact on universities and colleges in regions such as the Northern Netherlands, Twente, Limburg and Zeeland. Recognising the importance of internationalisation for the region, and educational institutions in particular, is important, but we have to wait to see the exact impact. Only then will we know the exact effects for UT. In the coming months, this will have to become clearer.
Joint action
In the past period, we have seen a great willingness among staff and students to take action. They made themselves heard with great dedication and passion and stood up for the interests of staff, students and, ultimately, society as a whole.
We would like to thank you for that, and we are proud of your efforts in the past period and hope that you will also join us in staying sharp in the near future to prevent further cuts to education. Because it is clear that we must remain alert in the coming period as well.
