"Internationalization" at the University of Amsterdam needs to stop, says student union

Amsterdam student union ASVA said it wants to enter into discussions with the leadership of the University of Amsterdam (UvA) about the influx of international students, and in particular about what it called the "anglicization" of the Dutch-taught Bachelor's programme, Human Geography and Planning. The ASVA chair, Aziza Filal, confirmed this after a report in Science Guide. The union said it does not consider further internationalization to be wise at the moment, because it claims the study programs will suffer and students can hardly find sufficient accommodation. However, the dean of the Social Sciences faculty denounced Filal's claims, saying they were inaccurate.

The union and Beter Onderwijs Nederland (BON), an organization promoting improved education quality, have already initiated a legal claim, but proceedings have not yet started. They still want to speak to the university about the situation. Filal said that it must now happen quickly, otherwise the lawsuit proceedings will begin.

The two organizations said they are not at all against foreign students, but believe that further internationalization should be postponed until the university can cope with the current situation. Filal also claimed that some professors lack English skills to apply the language in a way that requires training. In addition, the lecture halls are sometimes overflowing, she said, and students even have to sit on the stairs or attend classes virtually.

Agneta Fischer is the dean of the Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, which includes the Bachelor of Social Geography and Planning. Fisher said she is utterly surprised by the claims made by the ASVA and BON. She acknowledged that there are problems with the capacity of the lecture halls, but said everything is being done to stop the number of students at her faculty from growing.

Restrictions have already been set on the number of students for political science and psychology for the next academic year, and this could possibly happen with the communication sciences program, too. In addition, the Bachelor's program in Human Geography and Planning is not solely available in English, but can be taken in either English or Dutch. The complete English program is necessary for non-Dutch speaking students to obtain a diploma.

It is also "nonsense" that the program is getting worse, Fisher said. Students of subjects like these benefit greatly from contact with foreign students. She also has not observed that professors are unable to teach at a high enough English level. Some are even fully native English speakers, and those who lack the adequate language skills take courses first.

Fisher said she was "of course" willing to talk to ASVA and BON, regardless of their disagreement.