News item | 13-12-2023 | 6:00 PM
Balance between the value of internationalization for our education and the accessibility of that education. To this end, Minister Dijkgraaf (education) is working on a bill, part of a broader package of measures to control and direct this internationalization. The government is now taking the next step: the bill has been submitted to the Education Council for advice. The colleges and universities have also been asked to come up with a proposal for management and guidance. Dijkgraaf wrote this today in a letter to the House.
Dijkgraaf: “As a knowledge country, the Netherlands cannot do without international students: talent for science, for our labor market and for the courses themselves. I want to work with a joint and well-considered approach on possibilities to make adjustments in finding the balance. It is about preserving the intrinsic value of internationalization. We have to balance this with accessibility and also what society and institutions can handle. It is very important that further education is and remains accessible to every Dutch citizen. That is why we must take action now. The bill must make it possible to intervene carefully, targeted and quickly.”
Retention of Dutch
The government is working on the Balanced Internationalization Act (WIB). This is done as quickly as possible, but also thoroughly and step by step. To achieve this balance in internationalization, Dijkgraaf is committed to maintaining Dutch as the language of education and science and being able to manage incoming students. This concerns instruments in the field of teaching language, language skills, the use of ‘numeri fixi’ (maximum number of students) and direction. There is an explicit focus on (regional) customization.
With the proposal that was in internet consultation this summer, the misunderstanding arose that only a third of all courses should be taught entirely in another language. That is not correct: it was about room for foreign-language subjects and modules inside Dutch-language bachelor’s and associate degree courses, up to a maximum of one third.
Education Council advice
There were many responses to the internet consultation and these were carefully considered. The bill is currently being submitted to the Education Council, the highest advisory body to the government in the field of education. This independent advice is of great importance for a careful legislative process, given the impact of the measures on the educational field and on society. After receiving and weighing the advice of the Education Council early next year, the bill will be sent to the Council of State for advice as soon as possible.
Self-direction
The bill is part of a broader package of measures. The instruments in the WIB require management of internationalization, first of all by the institutions themselves. Also in anticipation of the bill’s entry into force, Dijkgraaf has asked the Association of Universities of Applied Sciences (VH) and the Universities of the Netherlands (UNL) to come up with an initial proposal for self-management on this subject next month. Dijkgraaf wants to complete the approach for management by the institutions themselves by March 2024 at the latest.
Grow international students
The number of international students in the Netherlands has increased significantly over the past ten years. The provisional registration figures for the 2023-2024 academic year show some stabilization compared to previous years. The share of international students among all incoming students in higher education is more than a quarter. About 45 percent of this group comes to the Netherlands for a bachelor’s degree in scientific education (wo). This makes the university bachelor’s degree, just like last year, by far the most common destination for new international students. Without control over incoming study mobility, the quality of education may come under pressure. Accessibility for Dutch students could then be compromised for certain English-language courses and, especially in large cities, it is increasingly difficult for students to find a room. And that undermines the experience that education and student life should provide.