Page 6 - ELG1911 Nov Issue 467

El•Gazette 467.qxp_El•Gazette 467 23/10/2019 13:09 Page 6

NEWS .

Dutch dump degrees in English,

cut international enrolments

By Matt Salusbury attracting foreign students and UCU
language policy,” while the
The Netherlands’ Minister of current higher education funding
Education, Ingrid van system perpetuates an, “impulse to
Engelshoven, told the Dutch attract as many students as
Parliament in September to expect possible.” It recommends putting
draft legislation aimed at limiting up fees for non-EU students.
the growth in international Students from outside the EU
student enrolments and the will henceforth be charged at least
proliferation of English-medium €7,612 a year for a bachelor’s
degree courses. Government course, or €29,452 per year for a
funding for international masters, according to the Science
marketing will also be slashed. Guide website. Government-
There are currently some funded Holland Scholarships for
85,000 ‘internationals’ in Dutch international students will be cut,
higher education – 11.5 per cent while the number of scholarships
of the total student body, double for Dutch students going abroad University College Utrecht is entirely English-medium
the proportion of a decade ago. At will double.
the start of the current academic Nuffic, the organisation for limit access to education for The future of the all English-
year, 28 per cent of all bachelor international education, which Dutch students. medium Liberal Arts programmes
degrees and 78 per cent of all receives around €20 million in There could now be maximum offered at specialist University
master’s courses in the Ministry of Education funding, quotas for enrolment on English- Colleges is unclear.
Netherlands were taught in was told in July to expect deep medium courses, where there is There are also plans to require
English. budget cuts. Its Netherlands strong demand, and in some cases institutions to promote the Dutch
Commenting on the publication Education Support Offices, a cap on the English version of a proficiency of all students. Foreign
of her Further Report on Draft located in Brazil, China, India, course, but not on its Dutch- students will be offered Dutch
Legislation on Language and Indonesia, Turkey, Vietnam, language variant. language courses, Van Engelshoven
Accessibility, Engelshoven said, Russia, South Africa and South The Education Act states higher told NRC newspaper. These will be
“The growth in the total number Korea, are set to close. education, “shall in principle be in optional and to an as-yet-to-be-
of English-medium courses and The Ministers’ report also Dutch”. Institutions that offer determined level. Van
international students is such that references Parliament’s concerns courses in English will now have to Engelshoven’s Further Report,
higher education is being put over the “disadvantages” of the demonstrate the “added value” of though, mentions possible changes
under too much pressure. I am internationalisation, saying, the their courses being English-medium to legislation to include
therefore taking measures to quality of the nations’ higher – such as the demands of the labour contributions from students
protect the quality of education education “would suffer from the market or particular professions. towards the costs of language tests.
and access.” limited English proficiency of Van Engelshoven also said some
The report notes, “there is a a teachers and students”. English- courses will have to be revert to (Translations from the Dutch by Matt
direct link between funding, medium courses are also felt to being taught in Dutch again. Salusbury.)

newsinbrief.

IRELAND: Ireland’s CAMBODIA: A three- STOP PRESS: Serial USA: The State of BRAZIL: A British UK: The House of
Labour Court has month intensive paedophile and Massachusetts is English teacher in Commons Public
announced an inquiry English course former EFL teacher taking the owner of Belo Horizonte was Affairs Committee
aimed at setting up organised by the Richard Hubble was the Boston stabbed to death, has issued a
the English Language Embassy of the found murdered in Language Institute, allegedly by his stinging
Schools Joint Labour Philippines for staff of Full Sutton prison which closed in son. Joseph condemnation of
Committee required the Cambodian shortly before we January, to court (see Dempsey, aged 57, government actions
by the legislation senate opened in went to press. In April 2019 Gazette). was found dead at in the TOEIC
passed in July (see September in Phnom 2016, Hubble, who “We are suing to get his flat in scandal which has
September Gazette). Penh. Led by Filipino reportedly took a students their money September. His son seen 50,000
This Labour “world class English CELTA course at the back,” officials told admitted to police students presumed
Committee will teacher” Teddy British Council in the Boston Globe. that he attacked guilty of cheating
regulate working Publico, the course, Kuala Lumpur, was Court documents his father, having and 2,400 deported.
terms and conditions for 40 Secretariat- convicted of abusing allege the owner “blanked out” Forty per cent of the
for academic and General officials of the up to 200 local continued to take after a drinking 12,500 who have so
support staff in all the Senate, is the third to children whose students’ money session with him, far appealed to the
country’s EFL be delivered by the families belonged to when he knew the according to the courts have been
schools. Embassy. his church in Malaysia. school was insolvent. Daily Mail. found not guilty.

6 November 2019