Government still intent on cutting funds from higher education

The new government will unveil its budget for the following year on September 17. The parties in the cabinet — PVV, VVD, NSC, and BBB — spent hours discussing their spending plans last Thursday.

The four parties had already agreed to make substantial cuts to higher education and research. These cuts will significantly impact students and universities. Some of the ways the new government intends to take away funds from the sector are also known, such as a fine for students who take longer to graduate, restrictions on the influx of foreign students, and discarding the national sector plans. All in all, these measures may take away almost a billion euros from the higher education sector, depending on how they are implemented.

Criticism
Unsurprisingly, the budget cuts have been met with fierce criticism. Universities estimate that up to 5,000 jobs are at risk, including the positions of 1,200 young researchers. The association of Dutch universities, UNL, is even threatening legal action. The universities of applied sciences are also against the government's plans, stating that the budget will “turn the world on its head”.

On Thursday, the Minister of Education, Eppo Bruins, replied to parliamentary questions posed by the opposition party GroenLinks-PvdA (Green Left - Workers' Party). “I understand the concerns”, wrote the minister, assuring them that he would "take these signals into account when formulating government policy”.

Either way, he is going ahead with the budget cuts, which include taking away over 200 million euros from the "sector plans", a project in which universities from different parts of the country collaborate.

Aware
“I am aware of the sector plans' value and I've been hearing the remarks from the sector about their relevance and necessity”, Bruins writes. “At the same time, financial choices have to be made to meet the budgetary requirements in the outline for our coalition agreement.”

The cuts will first be set out in the government’s programme and then in Bruins’ policy agenda, due to be announced on Budget Day. “That’s where I will present my plans and where exactly I will make cuts.”

So far, the minister has defended the cuts by emphasising the government’s determination to safeguard public finances and reduce the burden on households and businesses.

Taking revenge on "woke culture"
PVV, the largest coalition party, has justified the budget cuts on ideological grounds, saying that universities are now dominated by "woke culture", with political activism taking precedence over scientific integrity. “We are happy to say those days are over,” said MP Reinder Blaauw. The previous Minister of Education, Robbert Dijkgraaf, described PVV’s statements as “unfortunate” and indicative of a desire to settle scores.

But what does the new minister think about this situation? “The words used have no bearing on my views”, he states in his written response. It's not clear whether he's referring to PVV’s words, Dijkgraaf’s, or both.