{"id":169948,"date":"2024-06-20T14:45:27","date_gmt":"2024-06-20T12:45:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=169948"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:27:24","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:27:24","slug":"if-you-want-people-to-stay-long-term-you-have-to-ensure-that-they-feel-connected-to-the-netherlands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2024\/06\/20\/if-you-want-people-to-stay-long-term-you-have-to-ensure-that-they-feel-connected-to-the-netherlands\/","title":{"rendered":"‘If you want people to stay long-term, you have to ensure that they feel connected to the Netherlands’"},"content":{"rendered":"

What does the future look like for international students in the Netherlands? Lower House member and former VU microbiologist Rosanne Hertzberger (NSC): \u201cYour mind must be international, but your body must be Dutch.\u201d<\/p>

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Rosanne Hertzberger during her maiden speech in parliament.<\/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\tTweede Kamer<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

In January, you submitted a motion in which you called on higher educational institutes to come up with a plan to curtail the use of English within eight weeks, because you felt the language was being excessively used. Please elaborate?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s the Higher Education Act, which says that bachelor programmes should primarily be taught in Dutch. After all, university prepares you for a life in Dutch society. The projects and internships you do in Dutch are a part of that. But if you do your bachelor programme entirely in English, you can\u2019t follow any debates, for example.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn top of that, students are currently divided across two worlds, which don\u2019t really overlap. Dutch students and internationals don\u2019t interact very much. They each go to their own parties. If you want people to stay long-term, you have to ensure that they feel connected to the Netherlands.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\u2018Students are currently divided across two worlds, which don\u2019t really overlap\u2019\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

Your own background is in microbiology, a field which leans heavily on international cooperation and therefore the English language. How do you reconcile that with trying to reduce the use of the language?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cFirst of all, it\u2019s important that academia is largely international. Your mind must be international, but your body must be Dutch.<\/p>\n

\u201cBesides, it\u2019s not like we\u2019re saying that English is evil and absolutely everything has to be in Dutch. Even if you switch back a large part of programmes back to Dutch, there will still be courses in English. But you don\u2019t have to have everything in English to ensure your students speak the language properly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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