Everything in Dutch? “That kind of caricature is nonsense”

Except for a few more concrete topics—Should the basic scholarship be increased?—they stuck to broad generalizations, hints of things to come, and some nuance. On Thursday, when Minister Dijkgraaf responds, that will presumably be different.

Caricatures

It was particularly striking that the NSC and VVD softened their earlier positions somewhat. Former columnist and microbiologist Rosanne Hertzberger spoke on behalf of the NSC. She said, “Of course, we don't want all foreign students to leave or make all studies entirely in Dutch in a very fundamentalist way. Those kinds of caricatures are nonsense.”

She did reiterate, however, that her party considers the large influx of foreign students and the Englishification of higher education a problem. In principle, undergraduate education should be in Dutch, but exceptions could be made for certain professions or regions.

The VVD was also less harsh than it was during the elections, when the party wanted all bachelor’s degrees to be in the Dutch language, except for technical universities. MP Claire Martens-America said nothing about that now. In connection with the arrival of foreign students, she did mention the shortage of student housing and “the high costs for Dutch society,” but did not mention Dutch-language bachelor’s degrees.

Her solution: The minister should expedite options for a numerus fixus that would allow institutions to limit student admissions. Later in the debate, she said to Jan Paternotte of 66 that the VVD would not want to determine “top-down” which programs should have a numerus fixus. “In my opinion, educational institutions are very capable of doing that themselves,” she said. She cited the Brainport region around Eindhoven as an example. “I completely agree with Mr. Paternotte that if we say that everything there should be in Dutch, we will have major shortages in the labor market.”

Historic blunder

Paternotte made an ardent plea in favor of internationalization. “There is scarcity, so more guidance is needed, but let's not make the historic blunder of doing almost all bachelor’s degrees in Dutch. A lot is at stake if we don't make the right choices now.” He referred to the labor market shortages faced by Denmark “after they closed the door to international students in 2018.”

Luc Stultiens (GroenLinks-PvdA) also called attention to the positive side of internationalization. With some pleasure, he quoted an old column by Rosanne Hertzberger in which she had written, “There is no greater enrichment than meeting the rest of the world in the lecture hall. There you learn how small you are and how limited your view is.”

Anti-Semitism

Of course, other topics came up as well. The SGP, Christian Union, BBB, and PVV called attention to anti-Semitism. “We have reached a point where Jewish students no longer feel safe at our universities and crackdowns on hate-mongers are not being carried out,” stated PVV MP Patrick van der Hoeff, for example.

The basic scholarship was also discussed. It was increased this academic year for students living away from home. D66 and SP proposed extending that increase for at least one year. “I expect broad support,” Paternotte said, “because a large majority of this House has spoken in favor of increasing the basic scholarship since its introduction.”

Science

Relatively little was said about science policy, although Stultiens did ask his colleagues to take science seriously. “The earth is not flat, climate change is not an opinion, and long covid is not a figment of your imagination, as I know from my own experience.”

Hertzberger touched on the fate of Nobel laureate Katalin Karikó, who never received funding for her research and won the Nobel Prize thanks to American science policy. How would she have fared in the Netherlands, the NSC MP wondered. “Are we able to offer these people the time and space to tinker, follow their curiosity, fall, and get back up? The answer is: probably not.”

And Christine Teunissen (Partij voor de Dieren) denounced the influence of business on science and education. “There are still close ties between the fossil fuel industry, science, and education,” she said. “For example, Shell co-funds eight university chairs. Tata Steel funds a chair. In Wageningen, special professors are sponsored by dairy companies to research how cows can produce even more milk, blinded by commercial advantages.”

Continued

On Thursday, outgoing minister Robbert Dijkgraaf will answer the questions and comments of the House of Representatives. After that, MPs will submit their own proposals.

The fiscal year has already begun and the cabinet is on its way out. Talks on forming a new cabinet are ongoing, so major changes are not expected. At least, not if they cost money.