Senate approves education budget: set back for universities
"A brake on the future of our students and social progress. "
Today, the Dutch Senate approved this cabinet's education budget. This despite ongoing protests against plans that threaten the quality of our education and research. This makes the decision-making process for this year definitively irreversible. This means that UU will not escape cuts of 35 million in 2025. We hope to be able to turn the tide before 2026, and feel supported in this by several politicians and companies who have tried to get these plans off the table.
Brake on the future
GroenLinks-PvdA, D66, Volt, SP, Partij voor de Dieren and Onafhankelijke Politiek Nederland did not approve the education budget in the Senate. These parties, which collectively hold 28 of the 75 seats, could not stop the education budget. Paul van Meenen of D66 called the plans an attack on the future of young people. ‘On education and science you don't belong to make cuts in this era,’ he said.
The approval of this education budget not only represents a huge cut in our education, but also a brake on the future of our students and social progress.
‘Today is a sombre day for higher education in the Netherlands, and for our university,’ said President Anton Pijpers. ‘This was not what we had hoped for, and what students and colleagues have been fighting for through various protests over the past months. The approval of this education budget not only represents a huge cut in our education, but also a brake on the future of our students and social progress. We have invested in knowledge and innovation for years, but these plans put that at risk. We will not sit still and will continue to argue for a different course. Because cutting back on education is cutting back on the future.’