Dutch protestThousands of students protested in Amsterdam against Minister of Education Annette Nijs% plan for higher education and what the demonstrators called the “ruinous” state of higher education.
The demonstration was directed specifically against Minister Nijs’ “Higher Research & Education Plan (HOOP)”. The rhyme, ‘Nijs is niet goed wijs‘ (‘Nijs is not wise’), was chanted and displayed on placards and one protesting student took of his clothes to illustrate that education was being “stripped naked”. Students complain that higher education is becoming too expensive and exclusive. Under HOOP, universities will be allowed to charge higher tuition fees for certain degree programs. The students complain that this means some programs will be too expensive for most students to pursue. HOOP also calls for the raising of university admission standards. Students argue that this will make higher education less accessible. The demonstration was organized by the National Student Union (Lsvb), whose spokesperson said the protest sends a ‘clear signal to politicians’. Next month, Parliament begins debating Nijs’ education plan
No Holland Harvard
The Dutch cabinet’s plan to create a “Harvard” in Holland and thereby propel a Dutch university to the top of international university rankings, is “too ambitious” and unrealistic, because there isn’t enough money available for this and raising the student tuition fees is not the solution. This was the recommendation the Education Commission sent to Minister of Education Annette Nijs. The Commission is her most important adviser. Nijs had wanted to create a Dutch equivalent of Harvard, a university with a world-renowned reputation. The Commission said Nijs’ ambition to compete with universities like Harvard created unrealistic expectations, because tuition fees would have to be drastically raised: the average Harvard student pays 23,000 euros per year and universities such as Harvard are also generously funded by alumni donations. Moreover, the Commission concluded, Dutch higher education is competing strongly on a world level in many areas. Among science and technology universities, seven Dutch universities are ranked among the top 20 in Europe, with the universities of Tilburg, Eindhoven and Twente ranked in the top 10.
Dutch protest
Thousands of students protested in Amsterdam against Minister of Education Annette Nijs% plan for higher education and what the demonstrators called the “ruinous” state of higher education. The demonstration was directed specifically against Minister Nijs’ “Higher Research & Education Plan (HOOP)”. The rhyme, ‘Nijs is niet goed wijs‘ (‘Nijs is not wise’), was chanted and displayed on placards and one protesting student took of his clothes to illustrate that education was being “stripped naked”. Students complain that higher education is becoming too expensive and exclusive. Under HOOP, universities will be allowed to charge higher tuition fees for certain degree programs. The students complain that this means some programs will be too expensive for most students to pursue. HOOP also calls for the raising of university admission standards. Students argue that this will make higher education less accessible. The demonstration was organized by the National Student Union (Lsvb), whose spokesperson said the protest sends a ‘clear signal to politicians’. Next month, Parliament begins debating Nijs’ education plan
No Holland Harvard
The Dutch cabinet’s plan to create a “Harvard” in Holland and thereby propel a Dutch university to the top of international university rankings, is “too ambitious” and unrealistic, because there isn’t enough money available for this and raising the student tuition fees is not the solution. This was the recommendation the Education Commission sent to Minister of Education Annette Nijs. The Commission is her most important adviser. Nijs had wanted to create a Dutch equivalent of Harvard, a university with a world-renowned reputation. The Commission said Nijs’ ambition to compete with universities like Harvard created unrealistic expectations, because tuition fees would have to be drastically raised: the average Harvard student pays 23,000 euros per year and universities such as Harvard are also generously funded by alumni donations. Moreover, the Commission concluded, Dutch higher education is competing strongly on a world level in many areas. Among science and technology universities, seven Dutch universities are ranked among the top 20 in Europe, with the universities of Tilburg, Eindhoven and Twente ranked in the top 10.
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