Participation? Still no universal agreement
There are still no national guidelines for compensating students who participate in university and college councils. They risk losing three million euros a year.
Where will the money go in higher education? Will there be quiet rooms? What about new buildings? Students must participate in all kinds of councils and committees to decide on (or think about) their program, faculty, or educational institution.
But sometimes there is hardly any remuneration in return. There are huge variations. At some universities and colleges, students receive almost nothing, while at others they receive a grant to devote themselves full time to council work.
Training and support can also leave much to be desired. Effective participation requires some knowledge and skill, while students are usually only there for a short time. They could use some help.
Guidelines?
A majority in the House of Representatives wants national guidelines for this, and Minister Robbert Dijkgraaf also supports this. But talks between student organizations and educational institutions have stalled.
“Unfortunately, despite efforts on all sides, they have not yet succeeded,” writes the minister in a letter sent to the Lower House just before the Christmas break.
The main issue is fees. At some institutions, for example, you can “govern tuition-free,” so at least you don’t pay while you’re not taking classes and thinking about policy. But by no means do all institutions offer that option.
Outgoing Minister Dijkgraaf does not want to get involved but is in favor of tuition-free governance. “I therefore make a moral appeal to those institutions that do not offer the possibility of tuition-free governance to do so.”
Deep pockets
Student organization ISO, which has its roots in co-determination, is disappointed that the talks have achieved so little. “If you take co-determination seriously, you must compensate student representatives decently for the important work they do,” president Demi Janssen believes. Otherwise, she says, you can only have a say in education if you have deep pockets.
For better co-determination, Minister Dijkgraaf has allocated extra money: three million euros per year for the years 2024 through 2027. “This is under the condition that there are good agreements on compensation for all co-determination bodies,” he writes. Talks should be completed in the first half of 2024.
“Training is desirable”
No firm agreements have been made on training council members, either. The statement that “Training programs (...) are desirable” was the most that could be achieved in the negotiations between institutions and student organizations.
But there is now a list of possible provisions for the councils to discuss with their own institutions. For example, councils should be able to receive “official support,” such as when transferring files to new members.
