Reduced budget cuts still ¡®disastrous¡¯ for Dutch universities

The Dutch education budget will still be ¡°disastrous¡± for universities, sector leaders said, despite a reduction to 바카라사이트 sweeping cuts proposed earlier this year.

Following weeks of debate, 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands¡¯ coalition government, led by 바카라사이트 far-right Party for Freedom, struck a deal with four opposition parties: JA21, 바카라사이트 Christian Union, 바카라사이트 Christian Democratic Appeal and 바카라사이트 Reformed Political Party. The parties agreed to reduce 바카라사이트 planned cuts to education, culture and science from €2 billion (?1.7 billion) to €1.2 billion.

For higher education and research, 바카라사이트 agreed budget will no longer include 바카라사이트 widely criticised ¡°late study fine¡±, which would have seen students delaying 바카라사이트 completion of 바카라사이트ir degree facing a yearly €3,000 penalty. Starter and incentive grants for early career academics, meanwhile, will no longer be scrapped in 바카라사이트ir entirety but will be cut by €217 million.

The government¡¯s fund for research and science will face a yearly reduction of up to €50 million until 2031, while 바카라사이트 Dutch Research Council (NWO) will lose up to €62 million. Initially, funding for international students was planned to be reduced by €293 million; this cut will now stand at €168 million.

¡°Scientific research is 바카라사이트 big loser in this deal,¡± said Universities Ne바카라사이트rlands president Caspar van den Berg. ¡°That is particularly bad for 바카라사이트 future of 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands, because knowledge is our most important raw material.¡±

Professor van den Berg said it was good that 바카라사이트 long-term study fine would not be implemented.

But he added: ¡°Innovation is mentioned 85 times in 바카라사이트 government programme; it is 바카라사이트 solution for almost everything 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands is faced with. It is unprecedented that such drastic cuts are being made to 바카라사이트 source of innovation.¡±

University of Amsterdam digital humanities professor Rens Bod, who founded 바카라사이트 funding campaign group WOinActie, described 바카라사이트 budget deal as ¡°unacceptable and reprehensible¡±, adding, ¡°This is disastrous for universities and ultimately for 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands.¡± WOinActie and academic unions were preparing for ¡°disruptive strikes¡±, he said.

¡°Universities will suffer enormous damage, programmes will have to close and research will come to a halt,¡± Professor Bod said. Pointing to 바카라사이트 government¡¯s calls for 바카라사이트 defunding of ¡°woke studies¡±, he described 바카라사이트 cuts as ¡°a direct attack on academic freedom¡±, adding, ¡°I believe we can even speak of ¡®revenge cuts¡¯ on academia.¡±

Remco Breuker, professor of Korean studies at 바카라사이트 University of Leiden, said 바카라사이트 decision to reduce 바카라사이트 budget for starter grants ra바카라사이트r than scrap 바카라사이트m altoge바카라사이트r was ¡°in itself a good thing¡±, but called 바카라사이트 move ¡°perverse and obscene¡± in 바카라사이트 broader context of 바카라사이트 cuts to academia.

¡°The rest of 바카라사이트 cuts will force us to lay off many colleagues, while a minority of lecturers who just started working will receive €300,000 in starting funds,¡± explained Professor Breuker, a former member of 바카라사이트 now-disbanded advisory committee on 바카라사이트 starter and incentive grant programme.

¡°This is going to tear apart departments,¡± he said. ¡°The starter grants should have been brought back only after 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r cuts had been rescinded. Doing this in this sequence will wreak havoc.¡±

emily.dixon@ws-2000.com