The University of Groningen is failing to handle student complaints properly, according to the Education Inspectorate. The student organisation ISO believes this is a wider issue. The inspectorate launched an investigation because some students at the university felt their concerns were ignored or even felt unsafe when voicing complaints. The University of Groningen appears not…
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.
How should the education sector combat antisemitism? This was the subject of a parliamentary debate following a report by the Taskforce on Combating Antisemitism. Minister Letschert acknowledged that education administrators had fallen short in tackling antisemitism. “I’ve had to learn that myself,” admitted the former director of Maastricht University. During the debate, Letschert came under…
Renting a room above a shop or café? The National Students’ Union (LSVb) wants to make it easier. “Some local authorities are going overboard with regulations,” says chairperson Maaike Krom after an investigation.
Should it be possible to obtain a PhD at a university of applied sciences? The ruling VVD party wants to block the plan, but with a political majority, the government is free to press ahead with recognising the professional doctorate. The government wants to introduce two new titles: EngD and PD, or ‘engineering doctor’ and…
The government believes landlords should be able to offer students short-term tenancy agreements. It also proposes allowing rents for properties in the city centre to rise. The Woonbond has criticised the plans.
Even after losing two court cases, VU University Amsterdam continues to charge international students a housing fee for arranging accommodation. TU Delft also charges a housing fee.
To ease the workload in education, the House of Representatives has proposed accrediting degree programmes once every eight to ten years instead of every six years. Education Minister Letschert is open to the idea, but wants to await the results of a study first. Currently, the Dutch-Flemish Accreditation Organisation checks the quality of degree programmes
Attacks during the war in Iran are affecting more than 20 universities. “Students who were previously attacked by their own regime are now being affected by Israeli and American bombs,” says Iran expert Peyman Jafari.
The government is calling on universities and universities of applied sciences to do more to combat antisemitism and is allocating €350,000 for this purpose. This follows a report by the taskforce on combating antisemitism, which states that Jewish students and staff are more likely to feel unsafe. TU Delft says that the recommendations largely align with existing measures.
