{"id":96858,"date":"2019-04-01T11:36:48","date_gmt":"2019-04-01T09:36:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=96858"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:23:16","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:23:16","slug":"government-must-reverse-runaway-anglicization","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2019\/04\/01\/government-must-reverse-runaway-anglicization\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Government must reverse runaway Anglicization’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Around 180 professors, writers and other prominent figures are calling on the Lower House to reverse the diminishing role of the Dutch language in higher education. They fear that Dutch will cease to be used in academia and science.<\/p>\n

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Calling<\/a> on the Lower House to take these steps is an initiative of Vereniging Beter Onderwijs Nederland (BON, Netherlands Association for Better Education). This is an organisation that has expressed concerns for several years now regarding the Anglicization of higher education. BON also launched and lost a <\/em>lawsuit<\/a> on to this issue.<\/em><\/p>\n

Almost one-hundred professors and former professors signed the appeal, including Frits van Oostrom, Herman Pleij, Lotte Jensen and Beatrice de Graaf. Another eighty \u2018writers and other prominent figures from civil society and cultural sectors\u2019, including Frits Abrahams, Adriaan van Dis, Geert Mak, Job Cohen and Aleid Truijens also signed the appeal.<\/p>\n

Market share<\/h2>

The petitioners allege that three-quarters of all master\u2019s programmes and a growing number of bachelor\u2019s programmes are currently offered with English as the language of instruction. In doing so, universities and universities of applied sciences are breaking<\/a> the law. Legislation stipulates that Dutch is the language of instruction in higher education, unless compelling arguments can be made to deviate from that rule.<\/p>\n

The chief reason universities and universities of applied sciences are offering more and more English-language education, according to the petitioning party, is not because of an increasingly globalising world. Instead, it\u2019s because institutions want to attract more international students, which in turn generates more income for their coffers. \u201cThe battle for the \u2018market share\u2019 is mainly what\u2019s driving the Anglicization of education.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lecturers and students often have an inadequate command of English, and this has negative repercussions for the quality and accessibility of higher education. Moreover, this development comes at the expense of the Dutch language and job opportunities for graduates in the Dutch labour market.<\/p>\n

Out of all proportion<\/h2>

The petitioners state that it is \u2018indisputable that English, along with Dutch, holds a prominent position in university education\u2019. But they believe that it is now out of all proportion. \u201cIf the current trend continues, our universities will be fully Anglicized within a few years \u2013 with all the associate consequences. This means that Anglicization needs to be reversed to some degree, and this requires courage and a willingness to take action on the part of the government.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Lower House is being asked to critically read Minister Van Engelshoven\u2019s \u2018Taal en toegankelijkheid\u2019 (language and accessibility) legislative proposal<\/a>. According to the appeal, the legislation should effectively protect the Dutch language, set stricter conditions for offering programmes in languages other than Dutch, and \u2018rejuvenate the Dutch-language programmes offered in higher education\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\t

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De redactie<\/h2>\n\t\t\n\t\t
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