{"id":180453,"date":"2025-07-07T11:34:19","date_gmt":"2025-07-07T09:34:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=180453"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:27:52","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:27:52","slug":"internationalisation-bill-faces-renewed-delays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2025\/07\/07\/internationalisation-bill-faces-renewed-delays\/","title":{"rendered":"Internationalisation bill faces renewed delays"},"content":{"rendered":"

Education minister Eppo Bruins was supposed to amend the bill aimed at managing the influx of international students before the summer. However, he has indicated that he requires more time.<\/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\tEva Gomb\u00e1r-Krishnan<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

The (now collapsed) government aims to see more bachelor programmes at universities and particularly universities of applied sciences offered in Dutch. To achieve this, a \u2018language assessment for foreign language education\u2019 was proposed.<\/p>\n

This caused significant unrest in higher education: which English-taught programmes would be required to switch to Dutch? Resistance particularly grew in border regions, and the business sector underscored the significant shortages in the labour market.<\/p>\n

Consequently, the House of Representatives has decided that the language assessment must be removed from the bill. At least, this applies to existing programmes. New programmes must always demonstrate their necessity and relevance before they can commence. Furthermore, new \u2018foreign language\u2019 programmes (or foreign language tracks within programmes) will also need to justify why they are not taught in Dutch.<\/p>\n

Autumn <\/h2>

One might think that scrapping the language assessment would suffice, allowing the \u2018Internationalisation in Balance\u2019 bill to move forward in the House of Representatives. However, it is not that simple, writes<\/a> Minister Bruins in a letter. The bill will undergo such significant changes that it must be sent back to the Council of State for review, he states. According to him, this will only be feasible in autumn.<\/p>\n

Moreover, another issue arises: a clear overview of the \u2018existing educational offerings\u2019 needs to be established, including foreign language tracks within programmes. Otherwise, it will be unclear which offerings are \u2018new\u2019 and therefore subject to the language assessment.<\/p>\n

Relinquished<\/h2>

Bruins warns again of the consequences of removing the language assessment for existing programmes from the bill. \u201cBy doing this, I effectively relinquish my ability to intervene in the current foreign language offerings\u201d, writes the minister.<\/p>\n

Despite this self-management, which institutions have already begun to implement, Bruins emphasises \u2018how important it is to maintain oversight over the internationalisation of our education, to keep the system sustainable and affordable\u2019. He points to the somewhat increased costs<\/a> of student financing for European students.<\/p>\n

Moreover, in a recent interview<\/a> with HOP, Bruins stated that the Minister of Education should have less power. This aligns with a language policy in which the minister largely relinquishes that oversight.<\/p>\n\n\t

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