Six universities of applied sciences fail to meet performance agreements
All universities have fulfilled their performance agreements with the ministry, and the vast majority of universities of applied sciences too. Six colleges are slapped on the wrist: too many of their students strand prematurely.
The six universities of applied sciences could lose part of their funding now that they have not all achieved the agreed ambitions. This could cost them money, although it is not yet known how much.
The six universities of applied sciences are Inholland, Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, NHL University of Applied Sciences, Vilentum Agricultural University of Applied Sciences, Leiden University of Applied Sciences and Fontys. All of them score unsatisfactory for the study success of their students, according to the special review committee.
Kudos
Now Minister Bussemaker of Education has to weigh up how much she takes this. Two percent of their total funding was linked to their 'profiling' and on that point they all receive praise. They think about the training they offer and do not just copy what the neighbor has to offer.
Another five percent was not only related to study success, but also to quality improvement and excellence programs, for which these six universities of applied sciences also all received a pass. Furthermore, all educational institutions had to take measures to, among other things, improve the educational intensity and limit overhead costs. That also succeeded.
All in all, the review committee is satisfied with the results of the performance agreements made in 2012 by the then VVD State Secretary Halbe Zijlstra. “Colleges and universities have greatly improved the quality of bachelor's education”, the committee writes. “There is also more study success and lower overhead costs at many institutions. And choices have been made for focal points in education and research. ”
Jump
The universities have been able to make 'a bigger leap forward' than most universities of applied sciences, but the committee thinks that is understandable: the final level of the Bachelor's program had to be raised, while students from HAVO and MBO were not yet well enough prepared for this.
The Association of Universities of Applied Sciences is stepping into the breach for the six criticized universities of applied sciences. They have already achieved a lot, says chairman Thom de Graaf. "It is unjustified if a few universities of applied sciences would be financially punished by the minister because of a negative assessment on one aspect, namely the study success rate."
According to De Graaf, the quality would have improved even without the performance agreements. According to him, institutions should be given the space to make plans and formulate ambitions with students, teachers, lecturers and companies.
Happy
Universities association VSNU is pleased with the committee's assessment, but does not want to continue on the same footing with performance agreements. Chairman Karl Dittrich prefers to keep quality control in-house: students, teachers and employee representatives can make new agreements among themselves in the future, which will only benefit the support base.
The two national student organizations are also critical of the results. The emphasis is too much on the figures, according to both the Interurban Student Consultation (ISO) and the National Student Union (LSVb).
Perverted stimulus
“The agreements were largely about return and efficiency”, Jarmo Berkhout of the LSVb responds. “Universities and colleges were pushed to achieve the targets, with the incentive that they would otherwise receive less money. That is a perverse incentive that often has a negative effect on the freedom of students. ”
Jan Sinnige of the ISO also thinks it is a shame that we mainly look at figures. “We prepare students for society, they are not robots from learning factories,” he says. "It's about education, not excel sheet management." Any subsequent round of performance agreements should focus more on quality.
