Research unis stick with bsa
Research unis stick with bsa, applied sciences don’t
Door Sara Rommes
By Sara Rommes
The ministry made the decision because research universities have been able to provide education like normal, the NOS says, in part because they offer much less practical training than applied sciences universities do. It’s also been shown that students at research universities have barely suffered any study delays due to the corona crisis.
The National Student Union (LSVb) thinks it’s a weird decision. ‘The corona crisis has upended students’ lives. Online education has caused a lot of concentration and motivation issues for students’, says LSVb chair Lyle Muns.
The union is mainly worried about first-year students. ‘Burdening the current first-year students with a binding study advice in these difficult times shows a lack of compassion.’
First-years
The LSVb also thinks it’s weird that the BSA is being scrapped at universities of applied sciences but not at research universities.
Muns: ‘Last year, they did treat the first-year students with leniency. But the whole situation is even more difficult for the current generation of first-years, since they don’t know what it’s like to receive a university education under normal circumstances. That’s why we don’t understand why the BSA isn’t being scrapped for them, when it is for applied sciences students.’
The Groningen Student Union (GSb) isn’t happy either. ‘We don’t understand the assumption that students will be able to do the same things they have been doing in previous years’, says chair Marinus Jongman. ‘Especially considering students’ well-being. The quality of education has gone down and students are having trouble studying under these circumstances.’
Jumping to conclusions
The GSb dismisses the argument that fewer students are suffering a delay. ‘Saying that there won’t be any study delays this year because there weren’t any in March is jumping to conclusions. It’s months later, and students might get stuck on things that weren’t an issue back then’, says Jongman.
It’s unclear how the UG will respond to the ministry’s decision and whether the university will make exceptions for any programmes in particular.