D66 and BBB clash over slow-progress penalty during General Political Reflections

During the General Political Reflections debate in the House of Representatives, D66 and BBB clashed over the slow-progress penalty. Earlier that day, Education Minister Gouke Moes was subjected to scrutiny over his suitability for the role.

Is Gouke Moes fit to be Education Minister? Ines Kostić (Partij voor de Dieren) raised the issue during the so-called regulation of business, a moment in which MPs can request debates.

“If a swastika is scrawled on a rainbow crossing in a municipality, the only appropriate response is condemnation”, she said. “But not for the Education Minister just appointed by BBB and VVD, Gouke Moes. His reaction was: ‘Shame, on both sides’.”

Motion of no confidence

Kostić therefore requested a debate. She received support from Volt, GroenLinks–PvdA, SP, D66, Denk and NSC, but did not gain a majority. Moes has already apologised for his remarks. “I shouldn’t have said that. Everyone should be able to be who they are”, he said. The rest of the House considered that sufficient.

Queeny Rajkowski (VVD): “It was a very awkward and unacceptable statement”, she said, “but I believe this minister has apologised many times and in various ways, including here in plenary – so let’s move on and focus on the substance.”

As no debate will take place, Kostić said she would ‘regretfully’ submit a motion of no confidence. But since there is no majority for a debate, it is clear that Moes will survive the motion.

Slow-progress penalty

The debate then moved on to the Budget Memorandum, in which parties looked ahead to the upcoming elections. Education and science were only mentioned in passing, until D66 and BBB collided over the slow-progress penalty.

The now-outgoing cabinet had wanted to introduce such a penalty: students would have to pay 3,000 euros extra in tuition fees if they fell more than a year behind in their bachelor’s or master’s. The plan came as a surprise, as it was not part of any party’s manifesto. It sparked fierce protests, and political debates soon revealed that the proposal had many complications: who exactly would be affected, and what exceptions should be allowed? In the end, the plan was abandoned.

Dead and buried

Nevertheless, BBB has included the slow-progress penalty in its new election manifesto. Rob Jetten (D66) expressed his surprise. He referred to the protests and said of the penalty: “I thought it was dead and buried.”

Caroline van der Plas (BBB) responded in a relaxed manner. She didn’t appear too attached to the penalty, but did defend it. “There are quite a few students who really take an awfully long time to finish their degree, but among them are also students who need more time due to personal circumstances. We’re of course mindful of that.”

Unequal opportunities

Studying for years on end is a thing of the past, Jetten replied. “These days that’s really not much of an issue. Students tend to move through their studies quite quickly, because of financial and mental pressure. They also want to start working, so they can save for a house.”

He also pointed to high student debt and unequal opportunities. “We now know from research that the slow-progress penalty mainly affects students from low-income families. They are especially afraid to borrow money, as they receive little financial help from their parents.” He also pointed to protests at universities of applied sciences, even in regions that BBB claims to support.

Van der Plas did not consider it a major issue. “If other parties come up with good proposals, for example in the education budget, we’re always open to see what’s possible.” She did emphasise, however, that she does not want people to remain stuck in their studies unnecessarily.

This Thursday, the House of Representatives will continue with the General Political Reflections. Outgoing Prime Minister Dick Schoof will then answer, on behalf of the cabinet, all the questions raised about the budget. The debate is expected to continue well into the night.