The coalition is reversing almost 750 million euros in planned cuts to education. In return, CDA, ChristenUnie, SGP and JA21 will agree to the education budget, meaning the plans have enough support in both Houses.
Among other things, the plan to have students who take longer to complete their studies pay an additional 3,000 euros in tuition fees every year, the so-called late study fine, has been canceled. In addition, the social service time, in which young people do volunteer work, is partly spared. Cuts to teacher salaries are completely off the table.
The remaining 1.2 billion euros in cuts to education will continue. “A historic blunder,” tweeted Luc Stultiens, education spokesperson in the House of Representatives for the opposition party GroenLinks-PvdA.
There will also be a cut of 125 million less on the money that universities and colleges receive for international students, although a cut of almost 150 million euros remains. The mitigation is mainly intended to spare educational institutions outside the Randstad. Universities and colleges in Zeeland, Groningen and Limburg, among others, feared they would collapse if these students no longer come. Research grants for young academics are still largely cut. Of the 175 million that would be cut, 40 million will be reversed.
Religious education
For the Christian parties that negotiated, it was an important point that the cuts in religious education in public schools were reversed. That costs the coalition 19 million euros. In addition, 5 million euros have been reserved for the preservation of churches and other religious heritage.
The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science still has to make cuts in its own civil service, just like other ministries. The government will also continue to cut subsidies for children at home and gym classes, for example, and the cuts to public transport allowances for students studying abroad will continue as previously announced. Moreover, the government still wants to spend less money on scientific research.
The reversal of some of the austerity plans will not be paid for, as the opposition parties initially wanted, by lowering the deductible for health insurance. This was particularly sensitive to the PVV, which promised this reduction to its voters. However, negotiators have made cuts in other places at the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport. A subsidy for further training of medical specialists will be cancelled. In addition, it has been agreed to tackle ‘excess’ in the remuneration of medical specialists. Minister Fleur Agema (PVV, Public Health) should make administrative agreements about this.
It has also been agreed that the NPO may advertise online. This should provide the public broadcaster with extra money, so that the cabinet can cut 50 million euros from the NPO. The parties also want to introduce a tax on e-cigarettes.
Public transport student card
Where financial cover for reversing cuts was also found: a fund for the student public transport card. There was still money in there, because students travel less than expected. “Students will not be bothered by this, we have explicitly checked that,” CDA leader Henri Bontenbal said after the negotiations.
Other ministries also have to get involved. They must cut 173 million euros in equipment costs. These are, for example, official cars, said Bontenbal (CDA).
The four opposition parties that are now helping the cabinet gain a majority in the Senate for the education budget do not call themselves tolerating partners of the coalition after this deal. They are not suddenly fans of this budget either. “We have made a bad budget less bad,” said Mirjam Bikker, party leader of the Christian Union, when the deal was completed.
In addition to the cuts, the Christian parties also wanted to talk to the coalition about a government plan to supervise weekend schools. This does not sit well with their supporters, because this would not only apply to Koranic schools, but also to Christian Sunday schools. The parties indicated this during the negotiations, but there is no agreement that this law will not go ahead. Chris Stoffer (SGP) says he has good hope that this will be resolved “in a satisfactory manner”.
Nicolien van Vroonhoven (NSC) said that she is extremely relieved that the negotiations were successful, “also because it concerns our own minister. If a budget does not pass parliament, we have a big problem.” She often called Education Minister Eppo Bruins during the negotiations, she says, and could count on official support from his ministry.
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On Thursday, prior to the votes on the budgets, the House of Representatives will debate the deal that has been closed. The expectation is that the Senate will not vote on the budget until after the turn of the year.
Monster Covenant
It became clear last week that the coalition was prepared to scrap part of the 1.9 billion euros in planned cuts to education, but negotiations on financial coverage subsequently became difficult. This was because the coalition wanted to pay for the reversal of cuts to education by cutting the education budget elsewhere. The opposition parties were completely against this.
Five parties that together called themselves the ‘monster alliance’ had come up with proposals at the end of November to reverse 1.3 billion euros in cuts. The initiative originally lay with D66, but that party withdrew last Thursday when it became clear that the coalition wanted to scrap a smaller part of the cuts. Remains CDA, Christian Union, JA21 and SGP.
While demonstrations against the cuts were taking place again in various cities, the parties sat down again on Wednesday. The opposition parties indicated that this was the last chance they wanted to give PVV, NSC, VVD and BBB. Bontenbal said on Wednesday afternoon: “I am not going to walk back and forth here for days.”