Dutch universities are among the best in the world. This benefits all of society. It ensures that our economy is competitive and innovative. Our universities educate the people we need to meet the challenges of our time.
Unfortunately, our universities are struggling due to being structurally underfunded. Although the number of students has been increasing for years, funding per student has dropped. This has left precious little time and financial resources to conduct high-quality research or deliver high-quality teaching, let alone both.
Students no longer receive the education they deserve and our teaching staff and researchers are struggling to cope. It is high time to address this situation and to work towards a Normal Academic Standard to ensure the students of today receive the proper education they need to meet the challenges of tomorrow.
This is why students, administrators and staff of all 14 universities will be congregating on Tuesday, 6 April to sound the alarm. They will be calling on the new government to invest 1.1 billion euros on a structural basis. These investments are essential to restoring the level of Dutch university education to a Normal Academic Standard.
Visit www.normaalacademischpeil.nl for more information or to join in.
KNHG supports the initiative by the coalition of Normaal Academisch Peil. It has published its own statement (in Dutch) on its website.