PVV and CDA appear poised to play a prominent role in Dutch politics in the months ahead. Despite being the largest parliamentary group in the House of Representatives with 37 seats, PVV proved itself unable to govern. Last June, Geert Wilders walked out of the four-party coalition, causing the government to collapse.
His party is likely set for opposition, though there are scenarios in which PVV could lend support to the next government on specific issues in return for policy guarantees.
Opposition party CDA holds just five seats, yet its close rivals NSC and BBB are facing potentially heavy losses heading into the election. Polls indicate strong gains for CDA, suggesting it will be difficult to form a coalition without its involvement.
What are their plans for higher education and scientific research? PVV offers fewer details than CDA. CDA has yet to consult its members on its draft manifesto; PVV has no members.
PVV
“PVV wants maximum restrictions on study-related migration to our country”, reads the manifesto. “Our education system is intended for the Dutch, and not foreign students who leave after completing their studies.” Therefore, in Geert Wilders’ view, Bachelor’s programmes should once again be offered exclusively in Dutch.
Another stance is that education must provide a safe environment for all students and teachers. “Individuals involved in violent protests must pay for all the damage caused”, reads the manifesto. In practice, however, recovering those costs often proves difficult.
Protecting the right to protest is not a priority for PVV. The party proposes sending international students, teachers, administrators and board members who take part in “or tolerate” any violent protest back to their countries of origin.
The passage also shows the party’s intention to have a say in the personnel policies of educational institutions: “Dutch teachers, administrators and board members found responsible for this will be dismissed immediately.”
There is no mention of ‘science’ and ‘innovation’ in the PVV manifesto. Nor is there any mention of ‘students’ in its housing plans. The party does advocate for “transforming Media Park in Hilversum into a new residential area”.
CDA
CDA opens its manifesto section on higher education and science with a focus on student housing, calling for joint investment by municipalities, higher education institutions and housing associations.
It goes on to address higher education funding, saying this should be less dependent on the number of students. While widely supported in The Hague, the implications of this stance are still unclear.
CDA avoids making any sweeping statements about international students, seeming to imply that things are more nuanced. “In certain regions, international students are essential to keeping academic programmes viable, while in others their presence strains social services, housing and student communities.” As a result, restrictions may be introduced, but not uniformly.
CDA advocates mandatory Dutch language instruction for international students and encourages institutions and employers to use their best efforts to retain and integrate them into the Dutch labour market.
The manifesto incudes plans for increased spending on scientific research, but stops short of promising a full reversal of the current government’s cutbacks. Furthermore, the announced investments don’t cover all disciplines. The party focuses primarily on scientific and applied research in “key technologies” such as AI, quantum computing, green chemistry, battery technology and medical technology.
Amidst mounting global security threats, CDA also supports reinstating the ‘duty to report for military service’ for young people (in other words: conscription). “In addition, all young people will begin their further education with introductory training in resilience. Across all programmes, we will introduce a subject to promote awareness and self-reliance in the context of potential wartime scenarios applied to their specific programme.”
Incidentally, CDA is silent on tuition fees, student financing and other key financial matters for students. However, it does say: “As we value academic performance, we propose the introduction of scholarships for outstanding students.”
Other parties
Many other parties already unveiled their draft manifestos during the summer. There appears to be broad consensus that higher education should rely less on student numbers. This would prevent institutions from facing financial difficulties when enrolment drops, or profiting from attracting large numbers of students from abroad.