Why we will protest again on December 9

Last year, on 14 November, around 25,000 people gathered at Malieveld in The Hague. We made our voices heard and demonstrated against the proposed draconian cuts to higher education. Progressive politicians, led by D66, GroenLinks-PvdA and SP, heard us, but were unable to prevent most austerity measures from ultimately being supported by both houses of parliament.

The cabinet fell, elections were held, and D66 and CDA are now in the lead to form a broad coalition. It is inevitable that D66, as the so-called education party, will involve 14 November in the negotiations and commit to investing in higher education. It is inevitable that CDA will go along with this and not back down again. But for now, we are stuck with these budget cuts. 

First, a little reminder of the situation: the 1 billion euros in budget cuts to higher education are not only unnecessary but also indicative of a worrying anti-scientific climate. They are the result of a government that has explicitly turned its back on international openness and cooperation, betraying a provincialism that is at odds with the challenges of our time and with what a healthy, progressive knowledge society should be. 

The budget cuts are being achieved by looting the National Growth Fund and the Research and Science Fund. This is a short-sighted policy that will not only leave scars on the Netherlands' scientific and cultural fabric but also undermine its economic future. The consequences are significant: the reckless erosion of resources for research and education at a time when scientific innovation is crucial to solving complex problems is devoid of any rational necessity. As has become apparent, the cuts are a death blow to some faculties or even universities. 

Our students, incidentally, are also being hit hard and are under even more pressure: the study grant is under threat. The fact that the penalty for studying too long has ultimately been shelved does not change this. The cuts also threaten the possibility of innovation in education, teacher development and, with it, the quality of education. The wrecking ball has already hit many programmes, not only at Utrecht University but throughout the Netherlands, with neither the natural sciences nor the social sciences and humanities being spared. Courses and programmes have been discontinued, departments have disappeared, and quality is under pressure due to increasing staff workloads. 

So there is a lot at stake. Still.

The consequences of climate change and the energy transition, increasing migration flows and the rise of generative AI, to name but a few examples, are global issues that cry out for cross-border scientific cooperation. This makes the cuts all the more absurd. Now more than ever, we desperately need science to understand global challenges and tackle them locally. To this end, we must educate new generations of students who are equipped to take on these tasks. Last year, the business community also expressed serious concerns about the cuts, as evidenced by the urgent letter from UNL (Universities of the Netherlands). 

We therefore have no choice but to make our voices heard again, loud and clear. That is why I call on you, as members of the university community, to demonstrate en masse once more. Not against the government this time, but in favour of a new coalition that is committed to future-proof higher education. That is what we expect from D66, GroenLinks-PvdA, CDA, and VVD.

The national demonstration will take place on Tuesday, 9 December, on Dam Square in Amsterdam and is an initiative of labour unions FNV, AOb, and WOinActie. Click here for more information. 

See you on 9 December! 

Bald de Vries is a Professor of Interdisciplinary Legal Education in the Department of Law and also the Academic Director of the Centre for Academic Teaching & Learning. He is writing this op-ed in a personal capacity, as a member of the UU community.

The opinions expressed above belong to the author and do not necessarily represent those of DUB. If you would also like to share your opinions with the rest of the UU community, please send your op-ed to dubredactie@uu.nl.