{"id":125045,"date":"2021-04-06T15:51:26","date_gmt":"2021-04-06T13:51:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=125045"},"modified":"2026-01-19T16:25:16","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T15:25:16","slug":"government-allocating-half-a-billion-for-self-tests-for-students-and-educators","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2021\/04\/06\/government-allocating-half-a-billion-for-self-tests-for-students-and-educators\/","title":{"rendered":"Government allocating half a billion for self-tests for students and educators"},"content":{"rendered":"

The government wants to enable students to come to campus as safely as possible one day a week again starting on 26 April. To this end, half a billion euros has been earmarked for self-tests for students, lecturers and other employees.<\/p>\n

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The money will be drawn from the \u2018big coronavirus fund\u2019, as reported<\/a> by Dutch daily NRC<\/em>. In total, 350 million euros will be spent on the tests themselves and 135 million on the logistical operation to make it possible. The tests will have to be delivered to the students at home or distributed at pick-up points on campus, after all.<\/p>\n

Logistics<\/h2>\n\t
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\n\t\t\u2018Students came to campus one day a week on average. They maintained social distance and there were no coronavirus flare-ups at all.\u2019\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Education confirmed the report. \u201cThe idea is that every student and every employee will be able to do a self-test twice a week,\u201d he says. According to him, the \u2018big coronavirus fund\u2019 refers to the general resources of the Ministry of Finance. \u201cThe programme is therefore being financed by the government, and does not rely on funds from the National Education Programme<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

The umbrella organisations in higher education have voiced some concerns about the logistics of the operation, according to the newspaper report. Pieter Duisenberg, chair of the Association of Universities in the Netherlands (VSNU), also emphasises that the campuses were doing fine until the lockdown in December, even without self-tests. \u201cStudents came to campus one day a week on average. They maintained social distance and there were no coronavirus flare-ups at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

Voluntary<\/h2>

According to caretaker education minister Ingrid van Engelshoven, \u201ceverything is currently focused\u201d on reopening campus buildings. She said so yesterday during a round table discussion<\/a> with students and staff in Maastricht.<\/p>\n

What if infections rise again before then? \u201cIt\u2019s impossible to give one-hundred-percent guarantees at this stage, but I can\u2019t imagine that this plan won\u2019t work\u201d, said the minister. \u201cWe\u2019re not only looking at the coronavirus statistics. We\u2019re also concerned about students\u2019 wellbeing.\u201d<\/p>\n

She again stressed that the coronavirus self-tests<\/a> are completely voluntary. \u201cIt won\u2019t be a strict condition. There won\u2019t be door checks to see whether you\u2019ve done your self-test. We\u2019re counting on students to take responsibility for everyone\u2019s health and safety.\u201d<\/p>\n

Inevitable<\/h2>

The question remains whether things will be different in September, when institutions want to open their doors even wider and hopefully drop the social distancing measures. Paul Zoontjens, Professor of Education Law at Tilburg University, thinks it is \u201cmore or less inevitable\u201d<\/a> that students will have to carry test and vaccination passports to gain campus access in future.<\/p>\n\n\t

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