D66, CDA and JA21 say they will use their power in the Senate to halt many of the proposed government cuts in education and research. Their announcement comes as the House of Representatives gears up to debate the budget for education, science and culture.
Mario Draghi’s call for massive investment in research and innovation seems to be falling on deaf ears, as the EU is set to slash its research funding by 130 million euros next year. A further two billion euros is expected to be cut over 2026 and 2027.
Vocational schools and higher education institutions are set to receive a total of 81 million euros in government funding over the next two years to train more technical workers for the microchip sector – as quickly as possible. Educational institutions in the Delft region will share 9.4 million euros.
In the run-up to the large demonstration on Monday against the cutbacks in higher education and research, a petition is circulating. It has been signed 56,800 times so far.
This academic year, Dutch universities saw a 6% drop in international bachelor’s students – and this is before the strict Government plans came into effect. The UNL university association fears an ‘indiscriminate slash and burn’.
Education minister Eppo Bruins has promised to compensate students who fell victim to education agency DUO’s overzealous anti-fraud campaign. This is good news, but what about the ‘reverse burden of proof’? An analysis by the Higher Education Press Bureau that helped uncover the failing fraud hunt.