56,000 signatures against 'destruction' of higher education just before protest

Last week’s protest in Utrecht against the cuts was cancelled at the last moment. Nevertheless, some students took to the streets, and speakers were still welcomed in the House of Representatives.

A new date has been set: Monday afternoon, 25 November, at Malieveld in The Hague. Organisations and action groups call on their members and supporters via social media, WhatsApp groups, and email to join the protest.

Representatives of trade unions, action groups, and institutions will address the crowd from a stage. The programme will also feature a performance by artist Benjamin Fro. The exact schedule is still being finalised.

Budget

The protest is well-timed as the House of Representatives will be debating the Education, Culture and Science budget that week. The discussion will include measures such as the ‘long-term student penalty’ (or a yet unknown alternative) and hundreds of millions of euros in cuts to university budgets.

WOinActie, the higher education protest movement, understands that another demonstration is asking a lot of staff and students. “Conscientious as they are, many struggle with cancelling classes or rescheduling other commitments again”, reads a statement. “We ask university administrators to do their part by enabling staff to protest and closing universities for all regular activities.”

The doors may not close, but university leaders are encouraging staff to attend. On Tuesday, the Executive Board of Erasmus University urged employees and students to join the demonstration. As a result, there will be no compulsory attendance for classes on Monday, and staff can take special leave to join the protest.

Petition

The action does not end with the demonstration. On Tuesday, trade unions, student organisations, and action groups will present their petition against the cuts to a delegation from the House of Representatives. The petition warns that the cuts will exacerbate existing financial shortfalls, ‘resulting in more overtime, poor working conditions, scaled-back education, increased disability leave, and staff departures’.

Tensions within the coalition are rising, though not – at least not yet – due to the cuts to higher education. Criticism has come not only from students and educational institutions but also from the business sector. So far, however, the coalition has ignored it, consistently responding that ‘sometimes, painful choices must be made’.

The PVV even expressed outright support for the cuts. On Tuesday, Senator Gom van Strien criticised university management layers in the Senate, accusing them of wasting money. Ironically, Van Strien himself is embroiled in a legal dispute over dubious financial transactions from his time as a director of a University of Utrecht subsidiary.