Van Rijn’s multi-million euro reduction disastrous for UG

The Cabinet’s decision, based on the advice of the Van Rijn committee, will have disastrous consequences for the University of Groningen as a broad-based classical university. The proposed shifting of funds in favour of technical sciences puts heavy pressure on the high quality of teaching and research in the faculties of humanities, social sciences and medicine. For mutual collaboration, which is so essential for the success of a broad university like the UG, this is destructive and unjustifiable.

According to President of the Board of the University Jouke de Vries, the committee’s advice is not a solution to the problems that the entire education sector has experienced for years, such as high work pressure and the lagging funding per student. ‘I find it bizarre that, in times of economic growth and a budgetary surplus, we must cut back. I call on the Minister of Education, Culture and Science to wait for the announced research into the adequacy and costs of higher education before taking a decision about the redistribution of funds.'