Wet internationalisering in balans

Reactie

Vraag1

My reaction as a non-Dutch academic in The Netherlands is rather negative. In my opinion one of the reasons of why The Netherlands are so successful and prosperous as a country is their international openness and the fact that many people can speak very good English. This law seems to be backward-looking and shortsighted, designed perhaps more for reasons of internal politics than for helping the higher education sector. In my own sector, electrical engineering, The Netherlands is already STRUGGLING to produce enough engineers to sustain the national industry (think of global names such as ASML or NXP, just to cite two). We, as a country, should try to attract the best students to work here, irrespective of their language or where they come from, even because the international language of science and business is, like it or not, English.

It seems to me that this law does not address the main problem. If the main problem is the scarcity of housing and accommodation for students, that is where the government should act: build more, build better, do not artificially close the door to the most dynamic segment of the population (talented students).

Vraag2

I honesty do not think it is very feasible, especially in the context of my university (which is a top university of technology in the country). Many staff members are international and they speak not so good Dutch, not at the level required for a professional and good-quality university lecture. They could learn of course, but at what pro? ALL the relevant scientific literature is in English, including the main technical terms that everyone else in the world would recognize and use, so what is the point.