{"id":141612,"date":"2022-06-16T12:37:18","date_gmt":"2022-06-16T10:37:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=141612"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:26:20","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:26:20","slug":"bill-to-regulate-influx-of-international-students-withdrawn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2022\/06\/16\/bill-to-regulate-influx-of-international-students-withdrawn\/","title":{"rendered":"Bill to regulate influx of international students withdrawn"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dijkgraaf (D66) believes that the drawbacks and benefits of internationalisation in higher education bear further consideration. He has therefore withdrawn the much-discussed Language & Accessibility bill, which was awaiting approval by the Senate.<\/p>\n

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The bill doesn\u2019t just pertain to the influx of foreign students, but also to the position of the Dutch language in higher education. It stipulated that degree programmes should only be offered in English if there was a good reason to do so.<\/p>\n

These topics are important to Dijkgraaf. \u201cI am very committed to the preservation of Dutch as an academic language\u201d, he says, while recognising as well that the growing student numbers are causing problems. But the internationalisation of higher education is also \u201cof great value to the Dutch knowledge economy, education and science\u201d, he adds. Faced with these conflicting interests, he wants to carefully consider the best approach.<\/p>\n

Disappointed<\/h2>

\u201cWe are very disappointed that we now have to wait even longer\u201d, says Ruben Puylaert, spokesperson for the umbrella organisation Universities of the Netherlands (UNL). While the universities were critical of the bill, they still crave more tools to control the influx of foreign students, saying they \u201creally needed them yesterday\u201d.<\/p>\n

Governing party VVD is also critical of the delay and, according to a tweet from MP Hatte van der Woude, fears \u201cyears of postponement\u201d. \u201cWe think that it\u2019s unfair to leave unis in limbo like this. To be continued.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dijkgraaf is working on an administrative agreement with the higher education institutions, which will include a joint \u2018Future Survey\u2019. Only after this survey will he introduce a \u201ccomprehensive package of measures\u201d, including \u201csteering instruments\u201d to help manage the influx.<\/p>\n\n\t

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