The University of Groningen is “deeply concerned” about the statements made by Minister Dijkgraaf in a recent debate on internationalization in higher education in the Dutch House of Representatives. “These concerns relate to the stated measures on the language of instruction of our study programs and the potential consequences this will have for our staff, students, and ultimately for the quality of our teaching and research”, the university’s board says in a statement. “Sharing knowledge across borders and embracing the concept of the international classroom have contributed significantly to what Groningen University is today.”
With 122,287 international students in higher education in the Netherlands – 15% of all the country’s students – the government is proposing a cap on the number of students from outside the European Economic Area in some subjects and forcing universities to offer at least two-thirds of the content of standard bachelor’s degrees in Dutch, unless a university justifies an exemption.
“A limitation of our autonomy”
Jouke de Vries, President of the Board of the University, is highly critical of this proposal: “We are very proud of our diverse academic community, in which our international and Dutch students, staff, and PhD candidates play an equally important part. We favor a balanced set of measures and instruments in which our teaching and research ambitions go hand in hand with the specific needs and vulnerabilities of the Netherlands’ business world, government, and educational institutions. It seems now that the Minister wants to use language as an instrument to control the influx of international students. The same happened in Denmark, and some measures have already been reversed there. Hence, we need to have a discussion with the Minister. I fully understand the concerns of the international members of our community following the recent debate; the Board of the University will be fully committed to reaching an agreement on a balanced set of measures.”
The Groningen University says the proposed measures endanger its position as “a leading university which is firmly rooted in Groningen and which is a knowledge partner of choice for partners in our region, the Netherlands, Europe, and the world”. Also, the university fears this could impair its ability to contribute to the Dutch knowledge economy. “It could mean a limitation of our autonomy to an extent we have not seen in the past 409 years of our existence.”
“It could mean a limitation of our autonomy to an extent we have not seen in the past 409 years of our existence.”
Jouke de Vries
Robbert Dijkgraaf
Minister Robbert Dijkgraaf (Science and Education) doesn’t want to kill all non-Dutch classes. “My starting point is that the language of education is Dutch,” said the education minister, Robbert Dijkgraaf. “There can be room in the curriculum for another language, but I propose that it should not be more than a third. That means that most of your education is in Dutch, but if you want to give a few specialist subjects in English, that is allowed.”
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