Psychology programmes do not want to be sacrificed

Two weeks ago, the universities announced their intention to 'balance out' the internationalisation of education themselves to prevent the Minister of Education from interfering. The minister wants to use the Foreign Language Education Test to force English-taught Bachelor's programmes to switch to Dutch.

Universities are looking to make a trade. If the minister removes the strict language test from his bill, they are prepared to switch all Bachelor's programmes in Psychology in the Randstad conurbation back to Dutch, among other things. Utrecht only has a Dutch-language track, but the Economics & Business Economics programme, which is taught in English, would get a Dutch track.

Open letter
The proposal is controversial. The protest group WOinActie, which fights for better working conditions at universities, calls it an ‘unacceptable negotiating tactic’ as certain programmes are being used as bargaining chips.

Yesterday, the Psychology programmes of UvA, VU Amsterdam, Erasmus University, Leiden University and Tilburg University published an open letter opposing the proposal. According to the 1,300 signatories, international Bachelor's programmes are essential for the high level of psychological education and research in the Netherlands. ‘Sacrificing international Bachelor's programmes would seriously damage the quality of education.’

They call the proposal unfair, as Psychology programmes are the main targets, and misplaced because universities can easily set an enrolment cap for English-taught tracks. In addition, they consider the idea strategically naive: ‘There is no guarantee whatsoever that the pressure to reduce international programmes will stop once Psychology is entirely converted back to Dutch.'

Thrown under the bus
The Psychology programmes were angry from the start. ‘We feel like we've been thrown under the bus,’ said Rotterdam programme director Marjan Gorgievski to Erasmus Magazine.

Matthias Wieser, Professor of Clinical Psychology, thinks there is a major misunderstanding that all psychologists become therapists and therefore have to speak Dutch. ‘Pieter Omtzigt says that therapy cannot be done in English all the time. And then I think: 'He doesn't know what he's talking about. Psychologists can work in so many different places.’

Psychology is a scientific programme, underscores Professor Merel Kindt, Head of the Psychology department at the University of Amsterdam. In an interview with the university magazine Folia, she says that only those who have completed postgraduate professional training after their Master's degree are allowed to work as therapists in mental health care. According to her, many Psychology graduates work for the government or for large companies and research agencies where English is the main language.

A devilish dilemma
In an interview with Mare, the university magazine of Leiden University, University President Annetje Ottow described her decision to agree to the proposal as a devilish dilemma. According to her, there is a broad social call to limit the influx of international students in the Netherlands. ‘If the cabinet falls tomorrow, that doesn't mean the problem will be solved.’

She assures that the English-taught Psychology track will only be discontinued if the strict language test for existing programmes is scrapped. ‘This is how we want to save all other English-taught Bachelor's programmes.’ At the same time, she acknowledges that this is a bitter pill for Psychology. ‘We have our backs against the wall and must choose between several evils.’

No decision yet
The Minister of Education, Eppo Bruins, called the universities' self-regulation plans “historic” but refused to abandon the test. In his view, this would require careful consideration. His spokesperson reports that he has not made a decision yet. ‘The entire plan is on the minister's desk, including the option of scrapping the language test. All points of view have been heard and we will issue a letter before the summer.’