Resit soon

Dear Observant,

I would like to respond to the column by Prof. Wim Groot about the quality of students coming from outside the EU, (excluding American and Canadian students), based on one (1) case he has obviously encountered. Although he is entitled to his opinion, I feel embarrassed as a member of the academic community of Maastricht University about his column.
Interestingly, Groot has published this text in Dutch. This is also my mother tongue but I take the liberty to react in English since the students he is referring to should be able to read when they are attacked as a group to lack English language skills, being incompetent and not hard working. Let us look at some facts: the group of non-EU international students at UM is actually quite small and composes less than 8 % of all students (and one wonders why this is a minority, if one follows Groot’s argument that these students are only attracted for financial reasons). The biggest group in the non-EER cohort are students from China. We also have to differentiate between various levels, Bachelor, Master and PhD. I will not focus on the latter since in the context of selection criteria their English is sufficient to good and their working attitude is beyond further discussion. Of course, the Chinese, Asian and South American Bachelor and Master students indeed lack experience with English when they come to UM, but we are offering them courses to improve their language skills and most of the students succeed in mastering language proficiency; many choose also to learn Dutch. Indeed, they need extra time to integrate since they are coming from another educational system, have not been exposed to problem-based learning and need to get used to living in a different culture. In my experience , most students develop, grow and are fully active in our system after a few months. This is an achievement that we should cherish without discriminating against this group with assumptions and generalizations, such as linking them to corrupt systems. Non EER students contribute significantly to the cultural dimension in the international classroom and problem-based learning. After completing their studies these students will stay in the Netherlands or be ambassadors returning to their home countries. Even if these international students lack some prefect English vocabulary in the beginning, they are eager to work and use the opportunity we are offering. I worked for more than 20 years with students from many countries outside Europe, and I am basing my comments not on a single case but on my experience with hundreds of students. I am staying in touch with many of them and am very proud to see their progress when they move on to PhD positions, academic appointments and professorships in Argentina, China, Chile, Brazil, Japan and other non EER countries. Using stereotypes is un-academic; let us cherish diversity and inclusivity in a university that is attractive to both Dutch and international students.

Prof. Harry Steinbusch
Prof. Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
Advisor Strategy Internationalisation