{"id":165769,"date":"2024-03-27T11:19:44","date_gmt":"2024-03-27T10:19:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=165769"},"modified":"2026-01-16T17:13:26","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T16:13:26","slug":"house-of-representatives-apologies-after-duo-scandal-how-about-compensation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2024\/03\/27\/house-of-representatives-apologies-after-duo-scandal-how-about-compensation\/","title":{"rendered":"House of Representatives: apologies after DUO scandal, how about compensation?"},"content":{"rendered":"

He does not want to anticipate anything, but minister Robbert Dijkgraaf understands the demand for financial compensation for students who have suffered losses due to the DUO (the basic grant provider) inspection scandal, he said in the House of Representatives.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPauline Wiersema<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

On Thursday evening, outgoing minister Dijkgraaf (D66) entered into a debate with the House\u00a0 about the mistakes made by the Education Executive Service (DUO) in its checks on fraud with the basic grant for those living away from home.<\/p>\n

DUO\u2019s fraud hunters mainly targeted students with a non-western migration background, research by the Hoger Onderwijs Persbureau, Investico and NOSop3 showed last year. Further research by consultancy firm PwC confirmed this. There had been signals earlier that checks were not going well, but nothing was done about it.<\/p>\n

Innocent students<\/h2>

The cabinet has apologised for \u2018indirect discrimination\u2019. During the debate, many political parties said they appreciated this, but they doubted whether it went far enough. \u201cDoes the cabinet also recognise that innocent students have been affected by this?\u201d, asked MP Sandra Beckerman (SP). \u201cWill the cabinet think about a compensation for students who are really harmed by this policy?\u201d<\/p>\n

The same asked MP Do\u011fukan Ergin of DENK. He foresaw lawsuits from victims (\u2018That will also cost a lot of money\u2019) and thought the minister would be better off coming up with a compensation scheme himself.<\/p>\n

Ergin also inquired what was so \u2018indirect\u2019 about DUO\u2019s discrimination. After all, officials had long known that students with non-Dutch-sounding surnames were more likely to get inspectors visiting them. They had also already been warned against bias. \u201cThis is rock-hard institutional discrimination,\u201d Ergin said.<\/p>\n\n\t

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