News item | 11-04-2023 | 06:30
Go vote for the participation at your college or university for better education. Eight organizations in higher education and the Ministry of Education are making this joint call today, especially towards students. Employee participation is essential for a well-functioning university of applied sciences or university. Students and staff can thus influence the quality of education. As of today, elections for participational bodies will take place at most universities and colleges. To help increase turnout, the initiators are issuing an urgent call today to vote, under the heading ‘Choose better education’.
The initiators are participation organizations VMH, LOVUM, LOF and Hbo Participation, student organizations ISO and LSVb, Universities of the Netherlands, Association of Universities of Applied Sciences and the Ministry of Education.
Minister Dijkgraaf: “Effective participation is perhaps more relevant than ever, especially now that billions are being invested in secondary education. I think it is essential that students and staff can participate in decisions about how that money is spent. That is why we are making this call today to increase the turnout. In addition, I will continue to work on raising awareness of the important role and function of participation among students and staff at MBO, HBO and universities, and specifically on strengthening the position of participation in MBO.”
Importance of high turnout
In the next two months, the majority of the universities of applied sciences and universities will hold elections for participation in decision-making: for the central (student) councils, district councils, faculty councils and program committees. Tilburg University kicks off the ‘election season’ today, with elections for both the University Council and the decentralized councils of the ‘Schools’.
A high turnout is important for representative participation. Unfortunately, voter turnout in elections at colleges and universities has been very low in recent years, despite all kinds of efforts to increase enthusiasm. At many institutions, that enthusiasm is also declining. At some universities, student attendance rates dropped by tens of percentage points within a five-year period.
Influence on policy
All parties who endorse the call find the low turnout a cause for concern. The voice of students and employees is important for the proper functioning of a university of applied sciences or university. Participation councils can influence policy, provide valuable input and advise directors. Think of setting up a course, appointing an ombuds officer for students, support for informal carers, providing free menstrual products to students and creating quiet rooms.
In addition, the government is currently investing heavily in colleges and universities (and MBO). The participational bodies can actively participate in discussions about how these resources are spent at the individual institutions. For example, about awarding incentive grants to young scientists. Incidentally, not only a high turnout is important, but also a large number of students and employees who want to become candidates.
Urgent call
Because it is important that as many students as possible vote, ISO, LSVb, VMH, LOVUM, LOF, HBO participation, UNL, VH and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science today make an urgent appeal to students in particular to vote. This is done under the heading ‘Choose better education’. Go vote: whether for a program committee, sub- or faculty council or central (student) council. This is in your own interest and that of your college or university.
The message, in which members of the participational body tell what they have achieved in one of the councils, is distributed via the social media channels of the initiators and of the colleges and universities.
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