THE HAGUE – More than half of Dutch university courses are taught entirely in English, the Volkskrant reported on Friday. The paper looked at 1,632 different degree courses at the country’s thirteen universities and found 60 percent are now in English. When it comes to master’s degrees, just 30 percent are taught in Dutch and three universities only offer master’s degrees in English.
Universities introduce English-language degrees to compete with other academic institutions and to reflect the internationalization of education in general, the Volkskrant wrote. English courses also act as a draw to foreign students. ‘We are convinced that this will lead to better education and more opportunities for students in the international jobs market,’ Bastiaan Verweij of the Dutch university association VSNU told the paper. ‘Offering English education is part of this.’
Nevertheless, the shift is not without its critics among both students and academics. In particular, students complain about the poor quality of the English used by lecturers. At the end of last year, almost 60 percent of students in a poll by students union LSVB said they had been confronted with incomprehensible lecturers. Latin professor Piet Gerbrandy told the paper that his lectures lose subtlety and humor when given in English and that this applies to most non-native speakers. ‘By giving English such a prominent role at university, you remove the academic subtlety, the passion and the inspiration. And that is a shame.’
English takes over at Dutch universities
