Creating further polarisation in Dutch society

Unsurprisingly, the new Dutch government policy agreement for the next four years is populist and reactive. It has a strong nationalistic current running through it. Most of the discussion about Higher Education concerns student numbers and internationalisation.

Some of the cited ‘highlights’ for Higher Education are the following

– We are partly switching to the financing of higher education capacity funding to maintain courses that are important for the labor market or the region, despite shrinking student numbers.

– Promoting Dutch language skills will again become a core task of knowledge institutions in Higher Education. ‘Anglicization’ is being pushed back, with strategic exceptions for training for shortage professions.

– The qualification requirements of the knowledge migrant scheme are being tightened and increased.

– Restriction of study migration in higher education in the bachelor’s phase, with exceptions of studies where there are labour market shortages

– Study migration will become more selective, due to more courses in Dutch. This includes a ‘numerus fixus’ for foreign students

– In case of long-term employees, employers are also responsible for these employees learning the Dutch language.

– The fundamental right of freedom of education must be protected.

– The government archives are being put in order. To this end, the Archives Act is being modernized.

– A scientific standard will be created for the use of AI models and algorithms. Both must be public and reproducible

More generally, the policy plan is likely to create further polarisation in Dutch society. Without tackling the core problems (Why is there a problem with migrants? Why is so little affordable housing? Why are our universities so international?), these plans are all reactive. Just because the sticking plaster has a Dutch flag on it, doesn’t mean the illness goes way.