Van Rijn Commission: fewer growth incentives and more money for beta technology
Universities and universities of applied sciences should quickly become less dependent on student numbers for funding, advises the Van Rijn committee. A larger part of the existing budget must also go to beta-technical courses.
Picture: Type tank
Dutch higher education and research is of high quality, but that cannot be maintained for much longer, it says in the opinion that the committee led by former State Secretary Martin van Rijn presented this morning. Students and lecturers are experiencing increasing pressure, the balance between education and research has been lost and student-related funding is a “perverse mechanism” that leads to a 'race to the bottom threatens to lead.
The current system is not sufficiently transparent - “we are steering in the fog” - and encourages institutions to attract as many students as possible, for example by starting English-language and new programs. This causes capacity problems and student stops, even for STEM programs. Moreover, education and research will displace each other, warns Van Rijn, because research funding is not keeping pace with the growth in the number of students.
The current system is insufficiently transparent and encourages institutions to attract as many students as possible
Reducing
The perverse stimulus for growth must therefore be reduced, the committee believes, and quickly: the fixed part of the education funding should be increased and the variable, student-bound part reduced as early as 2020. This involves a shift of 300 million euros in university education (wo) and 250 million in higher professional education (hbo).
For the long term, the committee believes it is important that student intake and the funding of study programs become more dependent on the needs of the labor market.
Beta technology
The recommendation of Van Rijn is controversial to award universities with science and technology programs most of this shifted budget, namely 250 million euros. The condition is that they cooperate better and improve their students' study success.
The Van Rijn committee grants universities with science and technology programs most of the shifted budget
The other 50 million is intended for universities with a relatively large number of students who transfer from other institutions 'external switchers', such as Leiden and the two Amsterdam universities. The Van Rijn committee does not consider additional funding for transition students who want to follow a university master's degree necessary.
Shift
The result of all this is that in 2019 a net amount of 70 million euros will be shifted between the universities. The four technical universities benefit the most from this and the three young universities (Maastricht, Tilburg and Rotterdam) and the Open University the least. Which disciplines will suffer the most from the budget shifts is not clear in the report.
Table: Estimation of reallocation effects per university.
Source: Van Rijn Committee 'Switch to' report.
At the universities of applied sciences, no extra money goes to the beta-technical programs. The full shifted amount will go to universities of applied sciences with a relatively large number of external switchers, such as Inholland, the Haagse Hogeschool and NHL Stenden. In total, 2019 million euros will be redistributed in 21,4.
Table: Estimation of reallocation effects per university of applied sciences
Source: Report 'Switch to' committee Van Rijn
Disruptive
The competition for research funding has also continued, according to the committee. The dependence on temporary research funding from indirect and contract funding has increased too much and is disruptive because researchers have to submit new applications time and again. In addition, external financiers often require institutions to deploy money or capacity themselves, which in turn is at the expense of basic funding (direct funding). Van Rijn advises a transfer of 100 million euros from NWO to the universities, which should then work better together.
Practice-oriented research in higher professional education must also be paid more from direct funding. The number of diplomas awarded should be decisive for the allocation of the budget. Master's degrees count double, because of the importance of research in the master's phase of higher professional education.
Minister of Education Ingrid van Engelshoven: 'I am very hopeful that the Spring Memorandum will provide extra room for a soft landing'
Soft landing
Without additional resources, the short-term measures will only lead to the redistribution of existing money, the Van Rijn committee realizes. She estimates that the institutions that have to hand in have sufficient reserves to absorb the blow. That money should not be left unused on the shelf. Furthermore, the proposed transfer from the second to the first flow of funds can ease the pain somewhat, as can pushing forward the proceeds from the loan system.
Minister Van Engelshoven is impressed by the report, she said at the presentation. She realizes that one institution will receive additional money if the education budget remains the same and that other institutions have to give up. “I will push for a soft landing. I am very hopeful that there will be extra space for the Spring Memorandum. ”
