Today, the Universities of the Netherlands presented a package of measures with which Dutch universities want to get a grip on international student influx. Coming up with the package stems from the request of the Minister and the Dutch Parliament to take control of this issue as educational institutions. The goal: a balanced approach in which internationalisation is regulated and more attention is paid to the Dutch language within education. At the University of Twente, we find the steps we are making together encouraging. Still, we are not unreservedly confident about the outcomes.
Feeling at home
As the University of Twente, we are an international community. We not only share talent and knowledge, but together, in all our diversity, we form a valuable community. This applies to teaching, research, but also to how we treat each other. We want everyone to feel at home at our university.
The internationalisation debate puts some's sense of belonging under pressure. Unintentionally, it sends a signal that our international staff and students would be less a part of our community. We are proud of our international staff and students and cherish their presence.
Joint approach
However, societal and political realities require us to act on the desire for a greater focus on Dutch in higher education and grip on several issues, which are more prevalent at some other universities than ours. We are happy to play our part in this, but also call attention to the issues that are specific to us. Think of the great need for technically skilled personnel in the labour market and our cross-border role as a university close to the German border.
In the package of measures proposed by the joint Dutch universities, we see both attention to the broad issues in the country and also room to respond to the themes that are particularly relevant to us. It is good that we, as Dutch universities, are coming up with a joint approach because appropriate solutions can only be successfully found and implemented in conjunction.
For instance, we have agreed that all major bachelor's programmes will at least be available in Dutch, either at one university or another. We are looking at which bachelor's programmes might be able to be taught in Dutch and will not start new English-language bachelor's programmes.
UT-specific approach
As the University of Twente, we take our share of responsibility. For example, we are explicitly considering introducing a Dutch-language track alongside the existing English-language track in bachelor's programmes of sufficient size. In this way, we can offer Dutch students a largely Dutch-language educational path but, at the same time, continue to facilitate our international students, whom we desperately need given the needs of the labour market.
We need to explore such solutions further in the coming period, in close collaboration with faculties, programmes and participatory bodies. We place the responsibility for this broadly within the organisation because, ultimately, we have to do it together.
Taking and keeping control
We will need to work with some urgency. As a university, it is essential to take and keep the lead so that we can shape how we deal with this issue ourselves, based on the values we stand for and the specific challenges for our university. That means not waiting for legislation but working together as an entrepreneurial university to take the relevant steps in a well-considered manner.
Such changes do not happen overnight, and we also ask Dutch politicians to have an eye for a realistic timeframe in which we can implement changes. Changes will almost certainly have consequences and we will run into challenges; consider Dutch-speaking staff's availability and adequate study materials.
In any case, we will stop active general recruitment at international fairs, as proposed in the joint universities' package of measures. In line with the minister's request, our international recruitment was already at a low ebb in the past period.
Also, the foundation year will be discontinued after the current contract expires. We started this programme with Twente Pathway College to help international students meet the starting qualifications for a bachelor's degree. There had been talk of possibly ending the preparatory year for some time already.
At home in Twente
We started this reflection with the topic of feeling at home at UT. We want everyone to feel at home at our university and in Enschede, in Twente, in the Netherlands. We wholeheartedly endorse the political desire to support international students and staff in learning Dutch. It contributes to full participation in everything the city, region and country have to offer. Moreover, it increases the chances of international students staying, something we consider important from the region's needs and the labour market in particular. Therefore, we are committed to developing a programme to increase the Dutch language skills of staff and students.
Working together
We are entering a challenging time as a university and university community. We need to change, and change is not always easy. We keenly consider the needs and wishes of our community and will continue to test all subsequent steps against our core values. We are in this together!
Machteld Roos, Vinod Subramaniam, Tom Veldkamp
Executive Board University of Twente
