Uncertainty prevails: policy letter Bruins raises more questions than answers

Last Friday, Minister Eppo Bruins presented a broad outline of his policy for secondary vocational education, higher education and scientific research. This gives his political allies and opponents an idea of the path he’s taking.

Bruins wants to improve the connection between education on the one hand and the labour market and needs of society on the other. He also wants to reduce mutual competition (the battle for students) in higher education: funding of higher education is to become more stable and higher education institutions will be obliged to coordinate the education they provide.

Cutbacks

Universities are mainly happy that Bruins wants to reduce their administrative burdens. “This is urgently needed, because they are currently high and only look set to increase in the near future”, a written response by Universities of the Netherlands reads.

But then there are the cutbacks. “The big problem at the moment is that half a billion euros are being cut from higher education and science. Universities are being forced to lay off staff, cut back on the range of programmes on offer and stop research into, for example, cancer treatments and Parkinson’s.”

The universities think that competing less and collaborating more is a good idea, but a legal obligation to coordinate the education they provide? We’ve already been coordinating for a long time, the universities say. They’ve created a joint scheme for small and unique programmes in the humanities. “The question is what a legal obligation will actually contribute to this.”

Hbo misses ‘concrete ambition’

The Netherlands Association of Universities of Applied Sciences also sees little point in such a legal obligation to coordinate. “Universities of Applied Sciences have already indicated that they want to take collective responsibility. Legislation in this area is unnecessary”, reads the association’s website.

The universities of applied sciences mainly see a lack of “concrete ambition” in the letter. Take the connection between education and the labour market: do you want employees to update their knowledge or retrain if necessary? Give universities of applied sciences the task to provide the education in this context, they argue.

They also want to offer more Master’s degree programmes. They quote the minister: “Education, research and innovation are the catalyst for labour productivity and prosperity growth.” For this reason alone, students at universities of applied sciences deserve full support if they want to complete a Master’s degree, the association believes.

Diploma factory

The Dutch Student Union is worried higher education is changing into a ‘diploma factory’, says chair Abdelkader Karbache. “The minister is totally focused on the labour market.”

‘Technical universities have been trying to get more women interested in technology for years and that’s not really working out either’

Amongst other things, Bruins criticises the “upward pressure” that students feel: the urge to obtain a ‘higher’ diploma. “It would be great if he could explain where that pressure comes from”, says Karbache. He doesn’t think that young people pay a lot of attention to the labour market or are easily persuaded to make other study choices. “That would be a bit naive. The technical universities have been trying to get more women interested in technology for years and that’s not really working out either.”

That’s why he’s somewhat suspicious of plans for ‘capacity funding’ in higher education, i.e. funding that’s less dependent on student numbers. This can lead to fewer students and more selection, he fears. “We’re very worried about that. It will take more time and research, but as students we want to be very cautious in the matter.”

Increased performance pressure

The latter also occupies the thoughts of Mylou Miché, chair of the Dutch National Students’ Association. She is also anticipating capacity funding to be accompanied by selection. “This will increase performance pressure”, she predicts. “We feel it’s not a good option. Students must be completely free to develop as they please.”

She has more misgivings about the letter, which she thinks isn’t very concrete. For instance, the minister wants the system to be more relaxed, but what does that mean? “There are 800 thousand students in that system, but they aren’t really mentioned. What exactly does the minister intend to do to promote equal opportunity and accessibility?”

In itself, she understands that Bruins is also looking at the shortages in sectors such as healthcare and education, as well as the problem of declining student numbers. “We, students, also always find it important that a study programme offers at least some perspective, but how does he want to ensure this?”

Politics

The question is also how the letter will be received in the political ambit. “I find it very vague”, says Jan Paternotte, MP for opposition party D66. “The letter does suggest a bit what he wants to achieve, but how? It all seems to me like a diversionary tactic: he is trying to pretend that the cuts do not affect people.”

‘The letter does suggest a bit what he wants to achieve, but how?’

And the focus on the connection with the labour market? “Everyone is in favour of a good connection and a critical look at the education provided”, says Paternotte, “but at the moment the number of students is falling so fast that it is causing problems for institutions and programmes are going to disappear. And Bruins does not give any answers when you ask what he actually wants with the number of foreign students.”

Coalition party VVD is more sympathetic. MP Claire Martens-America also still has many questions, for instance about timelines and implementation. “But for now I am certainly positive”, she says.

VVD thinks the attention being paid to the labour market and society makes sense. “Politicians have little say when it comes to the education provided, but we are held responsible for the social challenges in, for example, healthcare, education and technology”, says Martens-America. “Politicians are rightly at a distance from education, but now we are also seeing the pitfalls of this. I think it would be healthy to take a look at this.”

HOP, Bas Belleman
Translation: Taalcentrum-VU