News item | 7/14/2023 | 14:53
Today the internet consultation of the Balanced Internationalization Act starts. Everyone can give their opinion on this bill until mid-September. It contains measures in the field of language, management and management of the admission of students, in order to better control and manage the number of international students coming to the Netherlands. This should lead to a better balance in internationalization in higher professional education and university education.
As Minister Dijkgraaf of Education, Culture and Science outlined earlier in his letter on internationalization, the international dimension of higher education is of great importance to students, educational institutions, the knowledge economy and society. Think of attracting international talent or learning international skills.
But in recent years, the number of international students has increased sharply to around 115,000. In university education, 40% of new students now come from outside the Netherlands (in 2015 this was still 28%). Uninhibitedly, this puts the quality of education under pressure, with overcrowded lecture halls and high workload for lecturers. Moreover, accessibility for Dutch students is at risk of being compromised in certain English-taught programmes. And especially in large cities, it is increasingly difficult for students to find a room.
These trends undermine the experience education and student life should provide. There is a need for a strategic rethink of internationalization and the exchange of talent. With this bill a sustainable balance must be achieved in the higher education system. A balance between exploiting the great added value of internationalization on the one hand and maintaining quality, accessibility and efficiency on the other. The targeted approach should support the international top position of colleges and universities.
Room for multilingualism
The bill that is now being consulted contains ‘buttons’ for directing and controlling the international student flow: instruments for enhancing the benefits of internationalisation, limiting the disadvantages and being able to absorb major and rapid shocks. With room for customization for regional differences and shortage sectors. The first concerns measures in the field of language. The aim is to maintain and strengthen Dutch as a language in higher education.
At the same time, the bill aims to make better use of the opportunities offered by multilingualism and to better align with the international positioning of colleges and universities. The bill offers more scope for foreign-language courses and modules within Dutch-taught bachelor’s and associate degree programmes, up to a maximum of one third of the total credits. If more than a third of the credits are taught in a foreign language, the Minister of Education, Culture and Science will examine the efficiency of a bachelor’s or associate degree program with a ‘foreign language education test’. He can grant permission after thorough testing of:
- The availability of personnel in a particular sector and the labor market prospects of students. There are major shortages in education, healthcare and technology. Incidentally, there are also jobs in those shortage sectors where it is important to have a good command of Dutch, for example when dealing with patients.
- The impact that an education has on the region. In a shrinking region, a knowledge institution with international appeal can be very welcome. The situation is different in cities where the pressure of more students can no longer be absorbed.
- The extent to which a program contributes to the international positioning of the Netherlands. Some programs train students for the international top, for example in the arts.
- The question is whether there are enough employees who can teach in Dutch. If that is not the case, foreign languages may be permitted.
- The distribution of the range of similar courses in the Netherlands. In principle, a Dutch-language variant of a certain program must always be available to students.
Meeting one of these elements is not sufficient for the test. The various elements are viewed as a whole, together with the specific context in which a program is located.
The bill also contains measures to promote Dutch language skills among both Dutch and international students. A good command of Dutch contributes to the connection to the labor market and the connection between students, teachers and society. Institutions are free to choose how they want to promote students’ language skills, but it should in any case be firmly anchored in the basics (bachelor’s and ad degree programmes), in the curriculum itself. This is also allowed outside the curriculum for Master’s programmes.
All students following a study program in a foreign language are required to make an effort to improve their Dutch language skills. The goal differs per group: where Dutch-speaking students improve their academic and professional language skills, for foreign-language students it is about becoming more at home in the Netherlands and being able to find a job here.
Maximum number of students
Another measure from the bill is the possibility of a fixus on part of the study programme. At the moment, this is only possible for the program as a whole. The more targeted use of a maximum on a trajectory prevents that pressure on one part leads to reduced accessibility for the rest of the course.
The bill also provides for a maximum number of places for students from outside Europe if teaching capacity appears to be limited. This guarantees access for Dutch and European students. After all, the government mainly has a responsibility towards Dutch students and – because of the close cooperation and reciprocity within the European Economic Area (EEA) – also towards other European countries.
Finally, programs that suddenly have to deal with a large number of registrations can proceed to set up an emergency fixus, an ’emergency brake’ if the quality of education is compromised.
Autonomy and self-management
The measures regarding language and fixus are only effective if they are taken together and with an eye for the entire system and society. This requires direction: in the first instance through coordination between the institutions themselves, and in the second instance also from the government.
Because although the individual autonomy of institutions is of great value, it does not take precedence over the long-term sustainability of the system, accessibility for students and the efficient use of public funds. Responsibility for the entire system and taking broader social effects into account requires a different and more active attitude from the government. The bill therefore offers opportunities for the Minister of Education, Culture and Science to intervene as an ultimate measure.
Until September 15, everyone can give their opinion on the bill. Apart from these legal measures, Minister Dijkgraaf wants to make administrative agreements with universities and colleges in the near future, for example about more targeted recruitment, more active guidance of international students to the Dutch labor market and good information about housing. These are necessary to bridge the time until the legislation enters into force.