Student organizations want a temporary brake on the influx of international students. “That influx is currently explosive,” says a spokesperson for the umbrella organization Interstedelijk Studenten Overleg (ISO). As a result, the quality of education is deteriorating and the workload for teachers is increasing.
A majority in the House of Representatives believes that there are too many international students. According to statistics bureau CBS one in four students comes from abroad and at universities this is as high as 40 percent.
This has consequences for the quality of education. That is why the ISO and the National Student Union (LSvb) want a temporary brake on the influx of international students.
That is a different requirement than what the government has in mind. In the parliamentary debate that took place on Wednesday, education minister Robert Dijkgraaf argued for a permanent brake on the influx. That goes too far for the student unions. International students also contribute to our economy and science. “We can learn a lot from other cultures in education. They are of great added value,” says the ISO spokesperson.
Ontvang meldingen bij nieuws over het onderwijs
Education quality suffers from huge influx of foreign students
“But something has to be done, because this influx is at the expense of quality,” says the ISO. Lecturers have difficulty reaching the much larger groups of students, there is less room for individual help.
In some cases there is an increase from two hundred to six hundred. “In addition, they have to mark many more exams. So the work pressure is even higher for them, and it was already too high”.
In addition, the ‘anglicization’ of education also contributes to the deterioration of the quality of education. “Not every lecturer can give the lectures in English in the same quality as if they spoke Dutch”, says Joram van Velzen, chairman of the LSvb. Several parties agree. The PVV, CU and CDA believe that all bachelors should become Dutch.
‘There are certainly 27,000 student homes too few’
But there is one more problem. There is no space, not only in colleges and universities, but above all, there is no living space. “There just needs to be a solution,” says Laura Keijzer of Student Organization Groningen (SOG).
But there isn’t (now). “And we also have to remain realistic”, says Keijzer, “because this problem is “very complex” and is not just about education itself”. “If we can already increase the capacity within study programs – and that is difficult because of the teacher shortage – then we still do not have housing for all students,” says the ISO spokesperson. According to the LSvb, the housing shortage is at least 27,000.
Information provision for foreign students must be improved
The problem mainly occurs in the Randstad conurbation and in large student cities such as Groningen. The University of Amsterdam has previously argued for a stop to the recruitment of international students. The numbers of students are skyrocketing. “As a result, there is fear among Dutch students that there will no longer be a place for them,” says the ISO spokesperson.
According to the ISO, students who want to study in the Netherlands could possibly be redirected to universities in other cities where things are quieter. “The influx is disproportionate.” But according to the SOG, that is often not possible. “The programs and education often differ per university and if you come from abroad, you usually choose a specific school for a reason,” says Keijzer.
Universities in Zeeland, Limburg and Twente are eager for foreign students. The demand for these students is particularly high in technical studies. They therefore argue for their own policy, so that schools can adjust the intake themselves.
Student organizations do not offer a real solution either. But they do argue for better information provision to foreign students. “They must be warned that they must first find a home before they come to the Netherlands to study,” said the ISO. But the cabinet believes that a structural solution to the problem must be found. Dijkgraaf is investigating the possibilities and will present his plans in mid-March.
