TU Delft has expressed satisfaction with the new coalition agreement, which sets aside 1.5 billion euros for education. The university announced this in a press release on Friday. The umbrella organisation UNL also responded positively to the presented plans.
Rector magnificus Hester Bijl describes the announced investments in science and research as “vitally important” and calls on the new cabinet to begin implementing the agreement as soon as possible. (Photo: Thijs van Reeuwijk)
This article in 1 minute
- Both TU Delft and the umbrella organisation Universities of the Netherlands are pleased with the plans presented by the minority coalition on Friday.
- Two student interest groups also responded positively, partly because the grant for students living away from home will increase and because the minority coalition appears to be mindful of student welfare.
- Coalition parties D66, VVD and CDA want to allocate 1.5 billion euros to education and 19 billion to defence. The parties in the minority cabinet want to fund this by cutting social security, among other things.
- The minority coalition must find support for each plan from other political parties. In any case, this does not seem to be coming from the SP and PVV. They quickly made it known that they would be mounting strong opposition.
A few hours after Rob Jetten (D66), Dilan Yeşilgöz (VVD) and Henri Bontenbal (CDA) unveiled their plans during a meticulously prepared press conference, reactions began pouring in. In the higher education sector, there is particularly a sense of relief that the cuts proposed by the Schoof government are being scrapped.
According to TU Delft, the agreement underscores the importance of technological knowledge in addressing major societal challenges such as housing construction, nitrogen reduction, the energy transition and climate change. Rector magnificus Hester Bijl describes the announced investments in science and research as “vitally important” and calls on the new cabinet to begin implementing the agreement as soon as possible.
Caspar van den Berg, chair of the UNL, also responds positively: “It is very good news that the coalition parties fully acknowledge that investing in education, research and innovation is crucial for the future of the Netherlands.”
UNL is additionally pleased with the new direction on internationalisation and the use of English in higher education. The coalition does not intend to restrict English-taught programmes. “This means that the non-Dutch bachelor’s programmes in psychology, and economics and business administration will not need to be converted to Dutch.”
Students
Student union LSVb is largely satisfied. The LSVb highlights, among other things, the attention given to student wellbeing and the increase in the grant for students living away from home. “Still, the incoming cabinet could take further steps to improve the position of young people, for example by making housing benefit available for tenants of non-self-contained rooms.”
The Interstedelijk Studenten Overleg also sounds optimistic. “We are mainly very curious about the details and the precise amounts,” its initial response states. “But this is good news, and we were ready for it after all the cuts of recent years.”
Regarding the introduction of a mandatory internship allowance, ISO says: “Finally. We have been asking for this for years, students desperately need it.” But here too, the details still need to follow.
The Landelijke Kamer van Verenigingen is less positive. They describe the 2.5 per cent cap on student loan repayments proposed by the coalition as a ‘gift from one’s own pocket’. “The so‑called ‘cap’ at 2.5% is, for many, not a safety net but rather a ceiling that will still lead to thousands of euros in additional debt.”
Allies needed
The fact that the plans are included in the coalition agreement does not mean they will automatically be implemented. Because the three political parties will form a minority government, they will need to convince other parties for every (legislative) proposal and each budget. SP and PVV indicated on Friday that they are not convinced by the plans. Geert Wilders (PVV) said he would mount “extremely tough opposition”, while Jimmy Dijk (SP) called the proposals an “attack on our civilisation” on X.
The minority coalition wants, among other things, to raise the AOW retirement age, shorten unemployment benefits (WW) by one year, and increase the compulsory excess for health insurance by 60 euros from 2027.
HOP, Bas Belleman and Olmo Linthorst / Delta, Annebelle de Bruijn
HOP
Hoger Onderwijs Persbureau
Do you have a question or comment about this article?
redactie@hogeronderwijspersbureau.nl
Comments are closed.