Elections: what do the parties say about higher education and research?
In their election manifestos, some political parties proclaim loudly how important they consider education and research. Others sound more restrained.
On Wednesday, 29 October, the elections for the House of Representatives will take place. These elections will also determine what the future of Dutch higher education and scientific research will look like.
In this overview, we compare the election manifestos. Note that parties want to show their best side. They sometimes make plans aimed at winning votes and do not say how they intend to pay for them.
We divide the parties into two groups each time. That can be a bit black-and-white, so be sure to read the explanations.
More money for students
Some parties want to increase student financing. Others do not think that’s necessary, for example because some students have wealthy parents or because students might earn enough later to repay their study debts.
It’s good to keep in mind that increasing the basic grant is certainly not the only way to boost students’ finances. This can also be done through higher healthcare or housing allowances, or by lowering VAT on groceries, for example.
The CDA wants a scholarship programme for excellent students, so that party could also be placed in the left-hand column. NSC says it wants to keep the basic grant in any case.
How much tuition?
If you want to make studying cheaper, you can also lower tuition fees. Not €2,600 per year, but perhaps half or even nothing at all. This can be done for all programs or maybe only for programs in shortage sectors, such as healthcare, technology, and education.
Some parties (such as Volt and SGP) want to make an exception for student board members who do not have time to take courses.
The SP wants to eventually abolish tuition fees entirely. The VVD draws attention with a “short-study bonus” for students who graduate on time. This would be the opposite of a long-study penalty (which BBB supports). Educational institutions under the VVD do face such a penalty: they have to pay a delay contribution if students take longer than expected.
Speaking English
Some parties think that too many students from other countries are coming here. To change that, more programs should teach in Dutch. They add that this is also better for maintaining proficiency in Dutch. Various parties, such as SP, SGP, and PVV, agree with this.
Because of all the criticism, universities have taken the initiative themselves: “let us make plans to properly manage internationalization and strengthen Dutch-language education in bachelor’s programs,” they said. Some parties are fine with this, for example GroenLinks-PvdA and PvdD.
Reversing budget cuts or not?
It was a bit of a shock when the cabinet wanted to cut more than two billion euros from education. The amount was eventually lower, but still: universities and colleges have to tighten their belts.
Some parties want to undo the cuts and spend more on higher education and research. Other parties do not see this as necessary. The PVV celebrated the cuts as a victory, and VVD, BBB, and NSC defended them until the very end.
Other parties do not say it explicitly. The SP, for example, wants to make education free and invest heavily in fundamental and independent research, but the party does not literally say: we will reverse the cuts. This also applies to Partij voor de Dieren.
Slow first-year students
A stick behind the door or an unnecessary source of stress: students who do not earn enough credits in their first year must leave. Some parties want to abolish this “binding study advice,” while others want to keep it as it is and do not mention it in their manifesto.
GroenLinks-PvdA also does not mention it, but that party has always wanted to tinker with the BSA, and that has probably not changed. In the previous elections, it was still included in their manifesto.
Funding of programs: fewer peaks and troughs
If a program attracts fewer and fewer students, should it close? This is certainly a risk in shrinking regions. Even small programs like German and French are struggling. Can the government ensure through funding that such programs continue to exist?
In fact, all parties want more stable funding, so that programs do not have to fight for students. But what does this mean in practice? GroenLinks-PvdA wants colleges and universities to be able to offer permanent contracts to their staff more quickly.
Some parties also want to improve alignment with the labor market at the same time. As the VVD writes: “To improve alignment with the labor market, the government will guide the distribution of student numbers across programs more closely.”
This means the government will keep certain fields of study small and expand others. JA21 is against “fun studies.” Partij voor de Dieren also thinks along these lines: education should match future needs.
Democratization of education
How much influence should staff and students have over the direction of their university or college? And do they receive reasonable compensation for it? Some parties remain somewhat cold when it comes to participation, while others jump on the barricades. NSC also mentions the important role of an independent press in higher education.
Academic freedom
Now that the attack on academic freedom has begun in the United States, you might expect Dutch parties to say something about it in their election manifestos. Not all of them do.
No one says: we are going to restrict the freedom of researchers. Instead, they prefer to say: we emphasize practice-oriented research in collaboration with the business sector. More guidance, in other words. The CDA mainly wants to invest in research into “the key technologies of the future,” including AI, green chemistry, and battery technology. BBB is heading in the same direction. “BBB stands firm for academic freedom,” the manifesto states, “but also sees that science is increasingly becoming detached from practice.”
Sometimes it is difficult to say whether parties actually want more freedom or not. The SGP, for example, emphasizes that research on the Holocaust must be able to proceed unhindered, but remains against embryonic research for scientific purposes. The party also want more practice-oriented research. All in all, it still sounds more like “more guidance” than “more freedom.”
Forum voor Democratie is difficult to categorize. The party wants universities to be places for “free debate and sharp ideas,” but this comes with a ban on diversity officers and safe spaces.
On the other hand, there are parties that openly say they support academic freedom, without reservation. GroenLinks-PvdA even wants to protect this freedom by law.
An internship is also work
Having a part-time job alongside your internship is sometimes asking too much. Some parties believe that all interns should receive compensation; otherwise, it is difficult for students without wealthy parents to freely look for an internship.
Other parties fear that, especially for small companies, such a requirement would lead to fewer internship positions being offered. “Then we go from the frying pan into the fire,” they argue. ChristenUnie and SGP do want compensation, but say it should only apply to mbo students.
Housing allowance for student rooms
Students are finding it difficult to secure housing. A commonly suggested solution is housing allowance for non-independent rooms. This could allow rents to rise for shared housing, letting investors earn more. Currently, they prefer to build studios for students. It sounds logical, but it is expensive for the government.
Building more student housing
New construction could be a solution to the huge housing shortage. But where do you put all those buildings? And how do you deal with nitrogen emissions?
All parties want to build more houses. Some explicitly mention student housing, while others focus on young people and first-time buyers. And yes, Partij voor de Dieren places more emphasis on sustainability than, say, BBB and CDA, but such differences are to be expected.
