Provinces urge The Hague to accept universities’ internationalisation plan

Support the universities’ plan to reduce the number of international students and limit the new internationalisation law to only newly established programmes in different languages. This is the appeal to national politicians from provincial executives from eight provinces on Wednesday in EM.

They endorse the proposal that universities presented to The Hague last week. The universities have offered to discontinue the English-language bachelor’s programme in Psychology in the Randstad and to introduce a new or stricter intake restriction for several other English-taught programmes.

The condition is that the language assessment in the new Internationalisation in Balance Act does not apply to existing programmes. This ‘language test’ is intended to assess whether there are valid arguments for the language of instruction for non-Dutch-taught programmes: is it necessary to offer a particular programme in English? Earlier, the House of Representatives already requested an amendment that exempts English-language programmes in border regions from the language test.

Homework

“The universities have done their homework with these plans. The Hague should seize this opportunity and quickly amend the proposed Internationalisation in Balance Act. The uncertainty for universities and universities of applied sciences has already lasted far too long”, said the deputies.

A decline in international enrolment makes programmes in the region vulnerable, they write. By protecting existing English-taught programmes, ‘we maintain well-functioning, regionally anchored programmes and keep international talent available for the job market’.