The UG is is pleased that shrinking regions, including Groningen, will receive an exemption under the Internationalisation in Balance Act. This likely means they will be able to enrol more international students, though many uncertainties remain.
Education minister Eppo Bruins sent a letter to the Lower House on Friday confirming that the exemption would be implemented. Bruins had initially planned to elaborate on this in March, but the CDA, SGP, ChristenUnie, and JA21 said this would be too late. Last week, these parties stated that if there was no earlier confirmation, the Upper House would postpone voting on the multi-million euro budget cuts.
Dependent on internationals
‘The UG is pleased that the minister is paying attention to universities in the region’, the university’s board of directors tells UKrant. ‘Minister Bruins has indicated that he understands the challenges faced by Groningen, Leeuwarden, and Emmen.’
The university and its satellite campuses rely on international talent, says the board: ‘we need both international staff and students’. They are ‘a key driver of the economy in the north of the Netherlands’.
Despite the education minister’s positive stance, the UG still does not know exactly how to shape its policies. ‘We are now awaiting further developments. There are still many uncertainties regarding the letter and the legislation proposal.’ The minister has yet to which universities fall within a shrinking region, although Groningen is expected to be included.
Less rigid
Bruins has already made it clear that the exemption does not mean that universities in shrinking regions can simply teach everything in English. English-taught programmes in these areas will still be subject to the ‘foreign-language education assessment’. However, the requirements may be less strict than those for other areas.
The Internationalisation in Balance Act was passed last year with the aim of curbing internationalisation at Dutch universities. Universities in border regions such as Groningen, Maastricht, and Enschede have opposed the law from the outset, as they rely heavily on international student intake.