Unification: minister puts ball at the institutions
Institutions can easily determine themselves what the working language of their programs should be, says Minister Van Engelshoven. Although she is concerned that English might create a barrier for underprivileged students.
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The House asked Minister Van Engelshoven all kinds of questions in response to a report by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) on the so-called Anglicisation of higher education, which was published this summer.
In this report, the Academy concluded that study programs must properly substantiate their choice of language of instruction. A conclusion that Van Engelshoven draws on in her answers: she likes to leave the language policy to the institutions themselves.
She is, however, concerned that English-speaking may be an obstacle for students with a migrant background or students without highly educated parents. The Social and Cultural Planning Office will investigate this, the minister promises.
Accessibility
When asked by the SP how they will ensure that the language is not an obstacle for students and staff in the participation council, she answers that there are “hardly any compelling reasons” for only speaking English there. Here too, she puts the ball at the institutions: “I expect them to look for ways to keep employee participation as accessible as possible,” the minister writes.
The law states that study programs have a duty to improve the Dutch students' ability to express themselves in Dutch, says GroenLinks. How can they stick to this if they are fully English-speaking? The minister replied that in her opinion bilingualism should be the norm, but again leave it to the institutions themselves. They can choose to have their students write at least one essay in Dutch, for example.
Dutch culture
The CDA is afraid that the content of the education will deteriorate due to Anglicisation, because “specific Dutch topics will fall off the agenda and because it is less possible to link up with Dutch current affairs”. That can indeed be complicated, the minister acknowledges, but it is perfectly possible. And conversely, isn't it a great opportunity to introduce international students to Dutch culture?
The Christian Democrats also wanted to know whether NVAO education inspector should consider the subject. They could check whether the English is good for the quality. But Van Engelshoven does not like that at all: NVAO has nothing to do with that choice. "After all, that would affect the autonomy of the institution and the perceived ownership." Only if education deteriorates can NVAO report this in its judgment, says the minister.
