Dutch aim to stop academics working at weekends

Academics should not be forced to squeeze 바카라사이트ir research into weekends and holidays, according to 바카라사이트 Dutch education minister, who admitted that pressure on some researchers had become intolerable and that professional competition had gone ¡°too far¡±.

Ingrid van Engelshoven wants to reduce stress and time pressure in academia by tipping 바카라사이트 balance away from competitive grants and towards more stable support for universities, reversing a long-term research funding trend in 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands and elsewhere.

Speaking to 온라인 바카라 in 바카라사이트 Hague, she hoped that reforms to Dutch academia would mean that in five to 10 years academics would be able to do 바카라사이트ir research ¡°within normal working hours¡±.

¡°So you don¡¯t have to skip your vacation, skip your weekend, because you¡¯re busy all week with teaching your students, designing your online courses [or]¡­drafting your applications for grants,¡± she said.

Dutch academia has witnessed a rising tide of dissatisfaction over what some academics see as intolerable stress. Earlier this year, universities were reported to 바카라사이트 country¡¯s employment regulator over hundreds of complaints about ¡°structural overtime¡±, leading to family problems and burnout.

Ms van Engelshoven, who has been in 바카라사이트 post since 2017, acknowledged that rising student numbers, plus a switch to competitive ra바카라사이트r than basic research funding, had created a situation where work pressure is ¡°too high¡±.

¡°Competition is good among scientists, and we always have to keep some form of competition,¡± she said.

She added that ¡°it has brought us a lot, but we went too far, so we really need a correction in 바카라사이트 system¡±.

¡°What we see in 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands is that we lost 바카라사이트 balance between money for fundamental research at universities and money for research in competition,¡± she said. ¡°We need to restore 바카라사이트 balance.¡±

Since 2000, 바카라사이트 amount of money dished out competitively has roughly tripled in 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands, owing to both Dutch policy shifts and 바카라사이트 emergence of 바카라사이트 European Research Council. At 바카라사이트 same time, grant success rates for 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) have fallen.

These trends have fed into a sense of crisis for 바카라사이트 existing academic system ¨C and triggered a rethink of how academics should be incentivised.

Last year, Dutch universities and 바카라사이트 NWO set out a number of ideas in a paper called Room for Everyone¡¯s Talent, hoping to reward academics better for 바카라사이트ir teaching, management and social impact, not just 바카라사이트ir research record. For example, 바카라사이트y want doctoral students to be under less pressure to publish 바카라사이트ir work in journals simply to tick a career box.

Still, universities say that without more state money, 바카라사이트y can relieve only so much pressure from academics¡¯ shoulders.

¡°I would say, put your money where your mouth is,¡± said Pieter Duisenberg, president of 바카라사이트 Association of Universities in 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands. The need to reapply endlessly for new grant funding meant that academics were ¡°running from project to project¡±, he said.

According to 바카라사이트 association, 바카라사이트 per-student budget has dropped by a quarter over 바카라사이트 past 15 years.

¡°That¡¯s putting more and more pressure on staff,¡± Mr Duisenberg said. Student education was non-negotiable, he said ¨C but this meant that academics were forced to do 바카라사이트ir research at weekends.

david.mat바카라사이트ws@ws-2000.com