During a parliamentary debate on ‘safety’ in higher education, Joost Eerdmans (JA21) tabled a motion: the cabinet must devise a plan with higher education ‘including concrete measures that each institution will individually implement to enhance academic freedom’. Students and researchers must be able to discuss openly, he argues in the motion. He claims there is a ‘decline’ in academic freedom. In the same breath, he mentions social safety, freedom of expression, protection against ideological pressure, and the prevention of intimidation and threats against researchers. In the debate, he provided examples. “If you are pro-Trump or critical of climate change, it is tough”, he said. “In some university halls, the Palestinian flag is displayed.”
Minister Eppo Bruins found the motion unnecessary, because, among other reasons, universities have long been engaged in protecting their threatened researchers. Furthermore, he regularly consults with the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (in his words, the ‘conscience of science’), which published a report on academic freedom in 2021.
Nevertheless, the motion received a majority. It divided the coalition: PVV, VVD and BBB were in favour, while NSC voted against. The opposition was also split. Among others, SP, CDA and Denk voted against, while GroenLinks-PvdA and D66 supported the motion.
Cooperate or not?
Universities and universities of applied sciences respond lukewarmly to the motion. “We are curious to see how the minister intends to implement this”, says a spokesperson for the universities’ umbrella organisation UNL. “We will have to wait and see to determine if and how we can cooperate with this.” The universities of applied sciences are also waiting to see what the minister will do with the motion.
“The threats to academic freedom largely lie outside the universities”, responds professor of international law and sustainability André Nollkaemper, chair of the KNAW committee for the freedom of scientific practice.
What threats are you thinking about?
“The funding of universities, the polarisation in society, the debate around knowledge security… all these issues impact academic freedom. Such threats have deep-rooted causes that cannot simply be shifted onto the universities. That said, there are indeed developments within the university that we need to pay attention to. There are, at times, barriers to the freedom of academic practice, debate, freedom of expression, and the invitation of guest speakers.”
Does this motion help to change that?
“See it as encouragement. Universities always have the responsibility to promote academic freedom, so they must continually look for ways to achieve this.”
How serious is the problem?
“Faculty and students have been asked about self-censorship. Between 14 and 28 per cent of the faculty felt limited in their expressions towards students or hindered in teaching sensitive topics. Among the students, 34 per cent felt restricted in discussions with faculty. There is clearly a task for the universities here.”
It isn’t immediately a threat to academic freedom if you take a moment to think before expressing your opinion, is it?
“No, it’s not always strange. Think of discussions about Gaza, genocide, and discrimination. I taught a class on Srebrenica and the Balkan War, even to students from that region. It was extremely sensitive. You have to be aware of the other person’s position, and that can sometimes mean you are a bit more reserved in your expressions.”
Have you ever felt that your academic freedom was being restricted?
“No. I have had several debates about Israel. I did experience sensitivities then, but never limitations. However, the problem is evident at the University of Amsterdam: both sides of the spectrum experience that they cannot always say what they want. This applies equally to students and staff advocating for Palestinian interests as it does for some Jewish students and researchers.”
Academic freedom is something different from the freedom to hold up a banner, isn’t it?
“That is correct, academic freedom is not the same as freedom of expression or the freedom to demonstrate. But think of sit-ins and lectures in the hall. Demonstrating, teaching, and debating blend together quite fluidly. The foundation must be that staff and students interact respectfully with each other, but it can certainly become heated.”
What do you do when people feel socially unsafe, simply because their viewpoint is being questioned?
“On political and ideological grounds, people can have very different views on sensitive issues. Academic freedom does depend on social safety – this is also an area that needs attention – but it is really quite different. The motion pulls academic freedom into the realm of social safety, but I don’t think that is wise.”
The Netherlands drops in global academic freedom ranking
In a global comparison of academic freedom, the Netherlands does not score highly. In the Academic Freedom Index, countries score between 0 and 1 point. At the very bottom is North Korea, while the Czech Republic ranks first. The Netherlands receives 0.79 points. This is lower than Botswana, Peru, and Suriname, and also lower than Germany (0.93).
Within the EU, the Netherlands is among the laggards. Only Greece, Poland, and especially Hungary score lower. Just a few years ago, the Netherlands was among the leaders. Particularly the ‘campus integrity’ scores worse: external interference with students and researchers on campus seems to be increasing.
What exactly is causing this is not immediately clear. The KNAW will soon release an analysis of the low scores on such lists regarding academic freedom.
