Letschert is one of many guests this afternoon in The Hague. Scientists, administrators, students - from organisations such as Nuffic (internationalisation in education) and the Student Union to the Education Union and the Central Bureau of Statistics - inform the MPs about the goings-on in higher education. It covers the influx of foreign students, Dutch as a language of instruction, the impact on the region, the stay rate of graduates and the labour market. In her plea of a few minutes, Letschert repeats the words she has expressed in the media many times before, including as recently as March, in a pressing letter on behalf of UM and other ‘representatives’ from Limburg, such as Zuyd University of Applied Sciences, Provincie Limburg and the Brightlands campuses: pay attention to the region, provide tailored solutions.
Bakers
A quarter of Limburg borders the Netherlands, three-quarters border foreign countries, she reminded the audience. “Looking across borders is a given for us. Currently, more than 60 percent [of students, ed.] come from within a 100-kilometre radius around Maastricht, and 65 percent of our alumni live and work within that 100-kilometre radius.” A drastic reduction in international students, according to Letschert, would have disastrous consequences. “It’s not just our scientists and support staff who will lose their jobs, but also the bakers, the hospitality workers, the cinemas, the cleaners who will lose their income,” she said.
Add to that the partners in the entire education chain, HBO, MBO, “if one falls, the rest fall too. Then we will have to appeal to you again, just like when the mines closed, to make our region healthy and prosperous.” She concluded her speech with the message that universities need the space to have self-regulation to keep internationalisation balanced, and this “naturally” includes considering Dutch language skills. And yes, in Maastricht too, growth has reached its maximum, “we too need measures.”
Thrown Away
Does Letschert feel that UM can create enough regional customisation with this law, and if not, what does it need, one of the committee's members asked. Letschert is particularly concerned about the so-called ‘lower legislation’. Fore example foreign-language education. There will be criteria for foreign languages; when is an English-language study programme still allowed? “How will that legislation turn out?” Letschert wondered.
And, looking at the bigger picture and the future, suppose an exception is made for UM due to its location, “I still have great concerns about our country as a whole. In a few years, we will all look back and think: ‘What have we thrown away?’” Sustainability transitions, education, healthcare; the Netherlands currently attracts people who choose to study and work here—what if they no longer come, she wants to say.
Bilingualism
Committee member Rosanne Hertzberger (NSC) visited UM a month ago, “a university that has internationalized very hard,” she said now. “We see the role of the region, but we also observe that in Leuven, across the border in Belgium, that internationalisation has barely occurred, and in Aachen, it’s minimal.” How important is the role of language in Maastricht? “It’s important,” said Letschert. “We have always promoted bilingualism, but the practice is complicated, which manifests itself, for example, in meetings with the university and faculty councilc. The staff needs more time and space to master the language, both English and Dutch.” And: “There is already a course for students now, which is very optional. But it is always fully booked.”
The Social Dutch module will change next year, the Language Centre told Observant this week when asked. Social Dutch is free for all first-year and second-year bachelor’s and master’s students. The level of the course is basic, so mainly listening, lots of speaking, but hardly any reading and writing. The latter will get more attention in the renewed module. The capacity will also be expanded. However, there has been a significant dropout rate of about 30 percent for a long time. Students drop out after a few sessions of Social Dutch because they find it too much alongside their studies.
Dutch Literature
Letschert is not the only guest from Maastricht. Assistant professor and philosopher René Gabriëls, who has shown himself in opinion pieces in national media as a fervent opponent of what he considers the ‘excessive anglicization of higher education’, especially at UM, repeated that message. He again emphasized the value of Dutch as an academic language. When asked about the consequences for a research field if everything is conducted in English, Gabriëls answered that “entire research branches are closed off. At my faculty, research is conducted into Dutch literature and the history of Dutch healthcare, and we used to train students to do that. To research that, you need access to Dutch sources. For research on poverty, you also need to master the Dutch language. That entire field is disappearing.”