{"id":176885,"date":"2025-03-18T11:20:26","date_gmt":"2025-03-18T10:20:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=176885"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:27:44","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:27:44","slug":"universities-pleased-with-administrative-burden-reduction-not-with-cuts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2025\/03\/18\/universities-pleased-with-administrative-burden-reduction-not-with-cuts\/","title":{"rendered":"Universities pleased with administrative burden reduction, not with cuts"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many questions remain unanswered in the ‘policy letter’ from Education Minister Eppo Bruins regarding higher education and scientific research. This is the sentiment expressed in the initial reactions.<\/p>\n

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Eppo Bruins visiting Erasmus University during the Opening of the Academic Year in 2024.<\/span><\/p>

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Last Friday, Minister Eppo Bruins outlined<\/a> the broad lines of his policy for secondary vocational education, higher education, and scientific research. It gives both his political allies and opponents an insight into the direction he is taking.<\/p>\n

Bruins aims to better align education with the job market and the needs of society. Additionally, he wants to reduce the competition (the struggle for students) within higher education: funding for higher education should become more stable, and universities and universities of applied sciences will be obliged to coordinate their educational offerings.<\/p>\n

Questions about legal obligation to discuss<\/h2>

Universities are particularly pleased that Bruins intends to reduce their administrative burdens. \u201cThis is urgently needed, as they are currently high and seem destined to rise further in the near future\u201d, stated a written response from the Dutch Universities Association \u00a0(UNL) on the letter.<\/p>\n

However, then there are those cuts. \u201cThe major problem at the moment is that there is a reduction of half a billion euros in higher education and science. Universities are being forced to lay off staff, cut their educational offerings, and halt research into areas such as cancer treatments and Parkinson\u2019s disease.\u201d<\/p>\n

While universities find less competition and more collaboration a good idea in principle, a legal obligation for mutual consultation regarding educational offerings? Universities assert that they are already in discussion. They have established a joint arrangement for small and unique programmes in the humanities. \u201cThe question is what a legal obligation would actually contribute to that.\u201d<\/p>\n

'Lack of ambition'<\/h2>

The Association of Universities of Applied Sciences (VH) also sees little merit in such a legal requirement for mutual consultation. \u201cUniversities of applied sciences have already indicated that they want to take collective responsibility. Legislation in this area is unnecessary\u201d, is stated on the association\u2019s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The universities of applied sciences particularly miss \u2018concrete ambition\u2019 in the letter. Take the alignment of education with the job market: do you want employees to update their knowledge or retrain if necessary? They are advocating for universities of applied sciences to be tasked with providing the study offerings for this.<\/p>\n

Additionally, universities of applied sciences would like to offer more master\u2019s programmes. They quote the minister: \u201cEducation, research, and innovation are the catalysts for productivity and prosperity growth.\u201d For this reason alone, they believe that students in higher professional education deserve all support if they wish to pursue a master\u2019s.<\/p>\n

'Diploma factory'<\/h2>

The National Student Union (LSVb) is concerned that higher education is turning into a \u2018diploma factory\u2019, says chairperson Abdelkader Karbache. \u201cThe minister has a total focus on the job market.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bruins criticises, among other things, the \u2018upward pressure\u2019 that students feel: the urge to obtain a \u2018higher\u2019 diploma. \u201cIt would be nice if he could explain where that pressure comes from\u201d, says Karbache. He believes that young people do not pay much attention to the job market or easily sway towards different study choices. \u201cThat would be somewhat na\u00efve. The technical universities have been trying for years to attract more women into technology, and that hasn\u2019t really worked either.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fear for more selection<\/h2>

For this reason, he views with some suspicion the plans for \u2018capacity funding\u2019 in higher education, or funding that is less dependent on student numbers. He fears this could lead to fewer students and more selection. \u201cWe are very concerned about that. More time and research are needed, but as students, we want to be very cautious here.\u201d<\/p>\n

This concern also occupies the mind of Mylou Mich\u00e9, chairperson of the Dutch National Student Association. She too anticipates that capacity funding will be accompanied by selection. \u201cThat will increase performance pressure\u201d, she predicts. \u201cWe do not see this as a good option. Students should be able to develop freely as they wish.\u201d<\/p>\n

She has more reservations about the letter, which she finds vague. The minister wants calm in the system, but what does that mean? \u201cIn that system, there are 800,000 students, and they are essentially not the focus. What exactly does the minister intend to do to promote equal opportunities and accessibility?\u201d<\/p>\n

She does understand that Bruins is attentive to shortages in areas such as healthcare and education, and to the problem of declining student numbers. \u201cWe, as students, also find it important that there is some future perspective attached to a study, but how does he intend to ensure this?\u201d<\/p>\n

Politics<\/h2>

It is also uncertain how the letter will be received in politics. \u201cI find it very vague\u201d, says Member of the House of Representatives Jan Paternotte from the opposition party D66. \u201cThe letter suggests a bit of what he wants to achieve, but how? It all comes across to me as a distraction: he is trying to make it seem as if the cuts do not affect people.\u201d<\/p>\n

And the focus on alignment with the job market? \u201cEveryone is in favour of a good alignment and a critical view on the offerings\u201d, says Paternotte, \u201cbut at this moment, student numbers are declining so rapidly that it is causing problems for institutions and programmes are going to disappear. And Bruins does not provide answers when you ask what he actually wants regarding the number of foreign students.\u201d<\/p>\n

The coalition party VVD is more open-minded. Member of the House of Representatives Claire Martens-America also has many questions, for example regarding the speed and implementation. \u201cBut for now, I am certainly positive\u201d, she says.<\/p>\n

The VVD finds the focus on the job market and society logical. \u201cFrom the political side, we have little say over the educational offerings, but we are held accountable for societal challenges in areas such as healthcare, education, and technology\u201d, says Martens-America. \u201cPolitics rightly maintains a distance from education, but now we also see the pitfalls of that. It seems healthy to take a closer look at this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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