NHL Stenden welcomes decision to keep English-taught programmes
Good news from The Hague: on 27 May, the House of Representatives voted in favour of preserving the current, limited number of English-language programmes in higher education. The government is following this line, which is positive for students, the job market, and universities of applied sciences.
The motion, submitted by CDA member Krul among others, prevents existing English-language programmes from having to be assessed individually. This creates space, stability, and confidence within higher education. Minister Bruins is adapting the 'Internationalisation in Balance' bill and is abandoning the foreign language education assessment (TAO) for existing programmes. The responsibility for balanced deployment of foreign-language programmes now rests clearly with the institutions themselves.
For NHL Stenden, this is a sensible and welcome step. International students play a major role in our region. They bring the world into the classroom and contribute to sectors struggling with shortages, such as healthcare, technology, and education. This political clarity gives universities of applied sciences the breathing room to do what's needed: provide education that fits today's society and tomorrow's.
We therefore share the positive response from the Association of Universities of Applied Sciences to dropping the mandatory language assessment and will continue to give international students a warm welcome.
Read more at: vereniginghogescholen.nl
