Besides sport and culture, higher education will soon also be allowed to support canteens or restaurants

They often already do, but officially universities of applied sciences and universities are not allowed to help fund student sport or cultural activities. The cabinet now wants to allow this on a permanent basis, including for campus canteens.

Last year, student sport and cultural activities in education, such as drama societies, were at risk of becoming much more expensive. Public funding is technically only meant to pay for education and research. The Ministry of Education wanted to enforce this rule more strictly.

That led to a wave of protest. In the end, then education minister Eppo Bruins temporarily reversed the stricter rules. The exception initially applied only to student sport, but cultural activities on campus were later added as well.

The cabinet has now decided to allow support for sports and cultural facilities in education on a permanent basis. Education minister Rianne Letschert does not yet know exactly what this will look like, but she wants to put an exemption in place. The minister wrote this today in a letter to the House of Representatives on student wellbeing.

‘Disappear or deteriorate’

Research carried out for the ministry shows that student sport and culture would ‘deteriorate’ or disappear altogether under the stricter rules. The cabinet considers that undesirable.

In principle, universities of applied sciences and universities are not allowed to spend public money on private activities. After all, a commercial gym cannot fairly compete with a student sports club subsidised by an educational institution.

But according to Letschert, sport and culture make an essential contribution to the public role of educational institutions by improving students’ ‘wellbeing, social connectedness and personal development’.

Also access for mbo students

In addition, Letschert also wants to exempt ‘student canteens and catering facilities mainly intended for students and staff’ from the rules. Without that exemption, educational institutions might have to repay funding. Letschert does not consider that a good idea.

The question remains how Letschert plans to make sport, culture and canteens accessible to mbo students. They are students too, but do not always have access to student facilities at universities of applied sciences or universities. The House of Representatives asked the minister to arrange something for mbo students. Letschert says she ‘will take that into account’ when working out the rules.