ISO

Higher education in the Netherlands must be able to internationalize further, but only if it improves the quality of education and if Dutch students are not displaced, according to Minister Ingrid van Engelshoven of Education. She is therefore giving universities and universities of applied sciences more room to internationalize, but this will go with clearer conditions and stricter supervision, ANP reports.

The government plans to start the first social service trial projects for young people by this summer. The social service period for Dutch young people will officially start halfway through next year, State Secretary Paul Blokhuis of Public Health, Welfare and Sports said in a letter to the Tweede Kamer on Thursday, ANP reports.

Most Dutch universities and colleges still charge students tuition when they suspend their studies for a year to sit on the board of an association. "Instead of colleges and universities thanking their committed and ambitious student executives for their crucial contribution to a challenging study climate, they punish them by charging them for courses they aren't following", Rhea van der Dong of student association ISO said, ANP reports. 

When the basic study grant was abolished, the government promised that the money saved would be invested in education. The government is failing to live up to that promise, according to student organizations ISO and LSVB, RTL Nieuws reports.

According to the organizations, in the year 2000 the government spent nearly 20 thousand euros for each student at university. In 2025 that amount will be only 14,300 euros. There is also a decline for students attending colleges. 

The national student loan debt is at its highest level ever, according to figures from education organization DUO. In total students and former students currently owe 17.6 billion euros to the state, compared to 12 billion euros five years ago, the Telegraaf reports.

The four Technical Universities in the Netherlands needs more money to cope with the influx of students, student organizations at the four universities and intercity student association ISO wrote in an open letter to the responsible ministers, NOS reports.

The letter is addressed to Ministers Jet Bussemaker of Education and Henk Kamp of Economic Affairs, as well as State Secretary Martijn van Dam of Economic Affairs. The Netherlands' four Technical Universities are located in Eindhoven, Delft, Wageningen and Enschede.

An increasing number of students are in need of psychological help, but student psychologists are scarce at a number of higher education institutions, according to a study into the avilability and accessibility of student psychologists in higher education. The study was performed by student organization ISO and the Dutch institute for psychologists NIP, Metro reports.

Many students who want to study abroad end up not going. According to a study by intercity student consultation ISO and the national students union LSVb, 70 percent of HBO students and 35 percent of WO students want to study abroad, but never go

Fewer students enter higher education directly after high school since the basic study grant was replaced with a loan-system last year. The percentage of students entering higher education straight from high school dropped from 71 percent to 64 percent, according to a letter Education Minister Jet Bussemaker sent to Parliament

Publishers of educational materials Keuzegids and Decaan.net are calling on higher education institutions to be more honest and transparent in information provided to prospective students