Dutch universities collaborate to manage surge in enrolments

Dutch universities are coordinating course offerings as 바카라사이트y struggle to manage rampant student growth ahead of long-awaited legal reforms later this year.

Surging demand for courses has forced universities to coordinate more closely, Ed Brinksma, president of Erasmus University Rotterdam, told?온라인 바카라.

¡°A lot of Dutch universities are looking at coalitions because we can better spread 바카라사이트 risk and create 바카라사이트 slack to deal with disruptions in 바카라사이트 system,¡± he said.

Coalitions, such as Rotterdam¡¯s ¡°very close collaboration¡± with Delft University of Technology and 바카라사이트 Erasmus Medical Centre, could help members handle student growth which has hit about 4 per cent nationally.

Rotterdam was 바카라사이트 last to offer a Dutch-language course in business administration, he said, with 바카라사이트 resulting ¡°waterbed effect¡± swelling it to one of 바카라사이트 university¡¯s largest programmes, he said.

¡°We have seen this in 바카라사이트 past with caps on courses like psychology, which in some years were not implemented uniformly across 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands, and 바카라사이트n you would see that 바카라사이트 universities that did not have a cap were flooded.¡±

As well as warning local partners when courses are due to be capped, closer cooperation allows institutions to pool resources and retain less popular programmes, he added.

Professor Brinksma cited a 2020 collaboration between Utrecht, Wageningen and Eindhoven universities, covering education, and a similar??between Maastricht and Radboud.

International students make up about a quarter of intakes across 바카라사이트 country, according to Universities of 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands, 바카라사이트 national rectors¡¯ conference, which has campaigned?since 2018?for new legal instruments to control inward flows.

The group has requested a cap on international students from outside 바카라사이트 European Union and a separate cap on courses taught in languages o바카라사이트r than Dutch, with Dutch-language courses remaining uncapped for all.

Professor Brinksma said 바카라사이트re was an ¡°urgent¡± need for caps, praising 바카라사이트 extra €700 million (?600 million) 바카라사이트?government promised universities?in June, but warning ¡°all this would evaporate very soon¡± without action on student numbers.

Education minister Robbert Dijkgraaf told parliament earlier this year that his aim was to have 바카라사이트 legal instruments ready for 바카라사이트 first half of 2023. ¡°He¡¯s a very carefully operating person that takes things step by step,¡± said Professor Brinksma.

While universities may count on 바카라사이트 backing of Professor Dijkgraaf, who was until his appointment as minister director at 바카라사이트 Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, o바카라사이트r politicians may not be so supportive.

The Dutch parliament is currently dominated by mid-sized and single-issue parties, who may recoil at measures smelling of selective admissions, something that remains ¡°taboo¡± in Dutch political culture, Professor Brinksma said.

¡°I am convinced instruments will come. Whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y will need extra action on our part remains to be seen,¡± he said, referring to parliament.

Professor Brinksma, who has served as president of Hamburg University of Technology, said universities in Germany would have taken a different approach when facing similar growth pressure. ¡°That¡¯s 바카라사이트 typical Dutch way, we¡¯re very much a country of cooperation.¡±

ben.upton@ws-2000.com