Austerity measures
Fewer honours programmes for motivated students
Last November, the higher education sector went to The Hague to protest against the austerity measures imposed by the government. Photo: DUB
Radboud University Nijmegen intends to abolish its Honours Academy as of January 1, 2027, although the employee participation council has yet to give its opinion about it. Leiden University is also cutting back on its honours programme: the budget will be halved over four years.
The daily newspaper Trouw has compiled a list of such examples, which are not restricted to research universities but also to universities of applied sciences. Since January, the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences no longer offers any honours programmes at all, due to costs and students' declining interest.
Utrecht University also wanted to abolish honours education in its Bachelor's programmes, but the University Council voted against it earlier this year. As a result, UU's faculties will have to find other ways to save money.
Higher standards
Honours programmes were introduced to raise standards and give the best students an additional challenge. About ten years ago, universities aimed for one in every ten students to participate in an honours programme.
Last year, a motion by the political party VVD asked the cabinet to keep honours programmes accessible to students. The party, which is part of the current coalition, refused to comment at this time, according to a spokesperson. No wonder, as the disappearance of honours programmes is a direct consequence of budget cuts supported by VVD, as Luc Stultiens, a member of parliament for the opposition party GroenLinks-PvdA, emphasises. ‘It's completely incomprehensible. For years, VVD was critical of a supposed culture of mediocrity in education, and now they are cutting honours programmes themselves.’
The umbrella association of Dutch universities, UNL, also calls the disappearance of honours programmes regrettable, but it is not surprised. ‘The consequences of the budget cuts are noticeable. Unfortunately, they will only increase,’ says UNL spokesperson Ruben Puylaert. ‘Universities must now make tough choices about what they can and cannot offer.’