{"id":157361,"date":"2023-07-12T12:29:20","date_gmt":"2023-07-12T10:29:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=157361"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:26:52","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:26:52","slug":"analysis-tension-in-cabinet-felt-also-at-ministry-of-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2023\/07\/12\/analysis-tension-in-cabinet-felt-also-at-ministry-of-education\/","title":{"rendered":"Analysis: Tension in cabinet felt also at ministry of Education"},"content":{"rendered":"

The differences of opinion within the cabinet about the migration policy could sometimes also be felt in higher education, especially when it came to refugees and internationalisation.<\/p>\n

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Robbert Dijkgraaf, Minister of Education, Culture and Science arrives at Erasmus MC<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLevien Willemse<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Education Minister Robbert Dijkgraaf (D66) has \u2018extremely mixed feelings\u2019 about the fall of the government. That was his initial reaction on Friday evening, before the emergency cabinet meeting had started.<\/p>\n

Refugees<\/h2>

Sometimes the migration policy affected Dijkgraaf\u2019s portfolio too, when it related to Ukrainian students for instance. In mid-June, GroenLinks MP Lisa Westerveld asked in a debate why these war refugees should pay such high tuition fees in the Netherlands. Why can\u2019t they follow a study programme for the normal tuition fees?<\/p>\n

\u201cI think Ms Westerveld\u2019s idea is very compassionate\u201d, said Dijkgraaf, struggling to find the right answer. But it turned out subsequently that he got no support for it within the cabinet. \u201cWe will include the generic measures in the wider discussions on migration. They are not yet complete.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was a disappointment for the former scientist. Everyone could see what he thought about it. If it were up to him, refugees would simply pay the low rate. The institutions themselves could do something for these refugee students, the Minister underlined. \u201cAnd that\u2019s what I would like to see. In fact, they have done it already. I consider that a really kind gesture. If they were to pursue that policy, I would applaud it wholeheartedly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Warm welcome<\/h2>

Then he added: \u201cIn broader terms, it is important to show that the Netherlands gives a warm welcome to refugees and students from war zones. Once again, educational institutions are doing so with open arms. I just hope they will continue to do so next year as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

A warm welcome for refugees? It is no wonder that Minister Dijkgraaf has mixed feelings about the fall of the government because of the migration policy.<\/p>\n

Internationalisation<\/h2>

But the tuition fees are just a relatively small point; the institutions can cope with that. Dijkgraaf also had trouble with the migration issue in his policy for the internationalisation of higher education.<\/p>\n

At the start of the last academic year in Maastricht \u2013 where the majority of the students come from abroad \u2013 Dijkgraaf made fun of the tradition, at the beginning of the academic year, of sounding the alarm in the press because of the internationalisation. He was probably thinking of the stories about freshers who had to live on campsites because of the housing shortage. But regardless of such incidents he wanted to reflect some more about internationalisation, \u201cbecause there are clearly enormous benefits for the labour market and the quality of the education\u201d.<\/p>\n

But would his cabinet colleagues agree? It took longer than expected for Minister Dijkgraaf to send his plans for internationalisation to the House of Representatives. One of the reasons for the delay was a \u201cbroader discussion on migration\u201d in the cabinet, he wrote to the House.<\/p>\n

He had to navigate between his own preference for open, international higher education and the migration concerns of other parties. He finally sent his letter about internationalisation in April.<\/p>\n\n\t

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