“It is completely unclear what the minister wants universities to do,” says President of Maastricht University Rianne Letschert when asked. Which regions are considered to be contracting, for example? Bruins wants to set that down in a list in the Internationalisation in Balance Bill, so that it is clear which institutions are eligible for exception. However, that list is as yet unavailable.
And what does this exception entail, exactly? For one thing, bachelor’s programmes would not be exempt from the language assessment, which requires that universities show English is the best language for the programme. However, they will be allowed to argue that the programme contributes to the labour market or knowledge infrastructure, but even that particular “regional criterion” is something Minister Bruins still needs to work out. He is hoping for self-governance and plans from the sector.
Returning the issue
Letschert: “The fourteen institutions need to determine which programmes could be taught in Dutch. But then, all those programmes will still need to be assessed according to criteria which are still being worked out. So how can we make decisions? He is returning the issue to the sector without providing a sufficiently detailed framework.”
In terms of the sector’s own plans, she is brief: “We already have those: more focus on Dutch language proficiency, more bilingual tracks, and a limit on the number of places for English-language tracks. That increases the accessibility for Dutch students and limits the number of internationals. You don’t need a law for that.”
Space or control?
There are other issues, too, where Bruins appears to compromise. The desired decrease in the number of international students has almost been achieved. That creates space, he writes. At the same time, he warns: if the target is not reached in one year, then that might lead to a “decrease in the net financing per student in that year”. He insists on self-governance but also says that “guidance remains desirable, especially considering that Anglicisation of some institutions”, which seems to be a reference to Maastricht University, where 20 of the 25 bachelor’s programmes are taught in English and one (Psychology) has both a Dutch and an English track.
Letschert: “He’s pretending to give us space, but at the same time, wants to maintain control. Meanwhile, the question what the purpose and necessity of this law still are becomes more and more relevant. Look at the decline in the inflow of international students, both here and nationally. He should give us a few years to implement the plans we’d already made.”