‘Not good for our country’

Schools and universities are unhappy about the cuts in education, on which an agreement was reached last night between the coalition parties and four opposition parties. It has been agreed that the cuts will be reduced to 1.2 billion.

Schools and universities still consider this a significant amount. New strikes cannot be ruled out.

Last night it was agreed that 748 million euros less will be cut than the 2 billion that the cabinet wanted to save on Education, Culture and Science. “Although some reductions have been made, we are ultimately still looking at massive cuts in educational research and innovation,” says Caspar van den Berg on behalf of the umbrella organization of the universities.

The cuts at universities are particularly painful on that last point. “It is about the innovation that the cabinet talks about 85 times in the government program, which must provide a solution to all the challenges facing the Netherlands,” says Van den Berg.

“Think of new drug development, how we keep our feet dry, how we accelerate the construction of homes. All these things arise from scientific research. You cannot hope that all those problems will be solved through innovation if you turn off the money tap for scientific research. research.”

That feeling also exists in secondary schools in the Netherlands. “If you look at it as a whole, we as a country will simply spend less on education. That is not good for our country,” says Henk Hagoort of the VO Council for secondary education.

The secondary schools are also dissatisfied with the agreement. “If you have a 2 on your report and you make it a 4, that is twice as good, but it is still a failing grade,” Hagoort describes the feeling that prevails after yesterday.

For example, money will be cut for schools to reduce the number of people sitting at home and there will be no extra money for new school buildings. The VO Council finds the latter particularly worrying. “That will really take 10, 20 years and we are already 10 to 20 years behind. There will have to be a cabinet that says they will add 1 billion per year, otherwise students will be in unhealthy buildings. Why are we waiting for that? I don’t know, maybe something really goes wrong at some point, but that is a really big problem with a very high bill.”

Secondary schools are relieved that a few measures have been scrapped. This means that teachers’ salaries will not be cut. “That would have been a really bad idea at a time of a teacher shortage.”

It has been agreed for students that there will be no late study fine. The universities are satisfied with that. If that measure had remained in place, students who delayed their studies by more than a year would have had to pay 3,000 euros on top of their tuition fees.

Students themselves are also happy that the measure is being scrapped. The National Student Union (LSVb) says that this is “really a burden off our shoulders”. The union organized several demonstrations against education cuts.

“We have really got something moving there. Now we have to move on. It is time to escalate further,” says the association, hinting at new actions against the remaining cuts. Because the fact that, despite everything, 1.2 billion will be cut still has major consequences, the association emphasizes. “It is up to students to save the future.”

Trade union FNV is also threatening new strikes. “We will not allow ourselves to be separated and will now consider follow-up actions together with the members. Strikes are not excluded,” says FNV board member Bas van Weegberg.