Minister embraces internationalization, but sees the downside of Anglicisation
Universities and universities of applied sciences must better justify the choice for English-language education, says Minister Van Engelshoven. But she continues to embrace internationalization.
Picture: National government
Today the education minister sends her long-awaited vision on internationalization to the House of Representatives. Universities and colleges are happy with her letter, while student organizations are strongly critical.
In her letter, Van Engelshoven seeks a balance: she wants to encourage internationalization, but not be blind to the downsides of it. As she sums it up herself: "I want to continue to facilitate internationalization where appropriate and find the balance where necessary."
The benefits are manifold, she believes. The quality of education improves when students learn intercultural skills and the economy is desperate for highly skilled workers.
Cons
But she also sees disadvantages. For example, there are concerns about the level of English, the accessibility of courses and the financial incentive to recruit as many foreign students as possible.
The choice for English-language education must have added value, she thinks, otherwise programs should not start. "Simply translating a Dutch study program into English is not enough and has nothing to do with internationalization." Some study programs may have been treated too lightly, she fears.
The choice for English-language education must have added value, otherwise programs should not start.
Her solution: a conscious language policy. From now on, the participation must agree to the choice of the language of instruction for courses. The Education Inspectorate will investigate whether the educational institutions all have a good 'code of conduct' to assess the choice for English-language education. In addition, the NVAO education inspector will keep an eye on things: the language level of teachers, for example, will be taken into account during the periodic inspection.
In the meantime, two universities (Maastricht and Twente) have to contend with a lawsuit by the association Beter Onderwijs Nederland against their English-language education. The minister does not say it in so many words, but it seems that she wants to get BON the wind out of her sails. The law now states that in principle education must be in Dutch, but it is not required of it, as long as study programs make good decisions.
Influx
Van Engelshoven also wants to give universities and colleges more opportunities to manage the influx of foreign students in the right direction, exactly as they had previously asked her in their own 'internationalization agenda'. For example, they may ban students from outside Europe if there are too many or allow a maximum number of students to enroll in the English-language variant of the study program (so that accessibility for Dutch students remains intact). She will elaborate on all of this.
ISO chairman Rhea van der Dong: "The minister is asking all sorts of things from the universities and colleges when it comes to internationalization, but is not yet investing a red cent in it herself"
Student organizations ISO and LSVb react critically, if only because the minister says little about the costs of internationalization. “The minister asks all kinds of things from universities and colleges when it comes to internationalization, but is not investing a single cent in it himself,” says ISO chairman Rhea van der Dong. “It will cut even further in the coming years. If she thinks internationalization is really important and wants to do well, she will have to come up with extra money. ”
Half work
“Minister van Engelshoven has done half the job”, also says LSVb chairman Tariq Sewbaransingh. “She says she has an eye for the downsides of Anglicisation, but is afraid to take real measures. The problem is that Anglicisation is also partly a revenue model. We want an active market master who checks whether Anglicisation is happening for the right reasons. ”
The universities and university colleges would also like to receive more money, for example for the ambition to have more Dutch students study abroad for a while. “Here the cabinet should have shown some more deeds instead of just fine words,” says Thom de Graaf, chairman of the Association of Universities of Applied Sciences.
They also have reservations about the extra quality guarantees that Van Engelshoven announces, such as the investigation by the Education Inspectorate and the inspection of the NVAO accreditation organization. They fear that this will lead to more bureaucracy.
Encourage
But the umbrella organizations are still 'moderately positive', as the Association of Universities of Applied Sciences describes it. After all, the minister is behind their course. Van Engelshoven honors many of their wishes and continues to encourage internationalization outright.
