Higher education institutions will receive hundreds of millions of euros in extra funding for research, innovation and the recruitment of international students. Meanwhile, the basic grant for students living away from home will go up by 50 euros – if the government gets its way, that is.
The House of Representatives is calling on the government to engage in discussions with universities and universities of applied sciences regarding the binding study advice (BSA) and to investigate whether it can be replaced by ‘personal advice’. Previous research has shown that the BSA has significant drawbacks.
Some TU Delft teachers fear that AI is steadily eroding their students’ critical thinking skills. The worst-case scenario: an entire generation of engineers with poor analytical skills. How are instructors trying to turn the tide?
The Education Inspectorate has once again warned that neither the NVAO, the higher education accreditation body, nor the Inspectorate itself can intervene at any stage if the quality of teaching on a course goes wrong. The examination boards only partially make up for this shortcoming.
The new Minister for Education, Rianne Letschert, has an extra €1.5 billion to spend, and she intends to use it to restore ‘stability and calm’. “Well, of course, you never know how long I’ll stay in the job.”
Politicians want to reform the funding of higher education, but how? The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) has already identified the shortcomings of the current system.
The binding recommendation of the continuation of studies (BSA) does not work, according to the largest study ever conducted on the subject. Graduation rates are barely any higher, and fewer students are obtaining a degree. As far as the Dutch Student Union is concerned, the BSA system should be abolished immediately.
On Tuesday, the House of Representatives approved the education budget, including the last government’s cuts for 2026. A notable change: animal testing on monkeys is suddenly permitted again.
The Dutch government is scrapping grants that enable teachers to pursue a second degree or to conduct PhD research, including at TU Delft. The Education Council considers this a shame.
