The Netherlands is a small country but its flat landscape offers wide, expansive vistas. Can the same be said of the country's intellectual life? Is the Netherlands a good destination for someone wishing to study abroad? Is it a good place to gain international experience?
Dutch higher education institutions aims at international audience
Certain facts speak for themselves. Altogether, the Dutch higher education institutions offer more than 1500 study programmes and courses conducted in English and aimed at an international audience. In 2001, parliament adopted a law that is making it possible for the institutions to replace the traditional, uniquely Dutch system of degrees and titles with the more internationally familiar bachelor'-master's model. Each institution is now working hard to introduce the change as soon as possible. Sooner or later institutions throughout the European Union will be doing the same, but for the present the Netherlands is a frontrunner. But is this the only reason for choosing the Netherlands? No, there are more.
Cosmopolitan tradition
In the 16th and 17th centuries, when the Netherlands founded its first universities, the entire intelligentsia of Europe had its books printed in the Netherlands because ideas could be expressed here so freely. The current spirit of Dutch higher education rests on this foundation of academic freedom. But the Dutch have always been practical, and freedom must also lead to results. If the Netherlands is to maintain its high standard of living, it must continue to operate at the forefront of science and technology.
The country today has 85 higher education institutions that together enroll approximately 455,000 students. Each year more than 80,000 of these students graduate and join the workforce.
A cosmopolitan atmosphere characterizes Dutch society. Newsstands sell newspapers and magazines from all over the world. The Netherlands imports more books from the United States and Britain than any other non-English-speaking country.
Nearly all Dutch people speak English and usually one or more other foreign languages. University libraries build up their huge collections with acquisitions from all over the world. A glance through any of their catalogues tells you that you indeed have access to an international repository of ideas.
Cosmopolitan higher education
Against this cosmopolitan background, it is not surprising that the Netherlands' higher education institutions conduct more than 1,600 of their study programmes in English for the benefit of international students. No other non-English-speaking country in the world offers such a large and varied range of possibilities. The online database of "International Study Programmes and Courses offered in the Netherlands" represents the entire spectrum of knowledge and skills-from civil engineering to music, and from agricultural sciences to communication studies.
Many of the study programmes lead to master's degrees, but the pursuit of a PhD is also possible, and programmes are offered at bachelor's level. In addition, there are many highly specialized short courses that fall outside the system of degrees. But in all of these international programmes and courses, the fact that students come from all over the world is taken into account. In terms of content, the curriculum is presented not just in a Dutch context but in a global context.
An important feature of Dutch higher education offers another advantage for international students. Students in the Netherlands learn to develop their own views and to apply their own creativity. Practicals, project work, and the writing of papers-usually on a topic of one's own choosing-are important elements in all curricula. Students can choose topics that are relevant to their own countries and their own careers.
Quality of higher education
Dutch higher education is at the high level you would expect, given this background. The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science helps ensure this through a system of peer review which enlists independent experts-often from abroad as well as from home-to make periodic assessments of each programme of study. These reports are made public and discussed in the media, making them an effective system of quality control. If the findings are not what they should be, the Minister does not hesitate to intervene.
Modest fees
In relation to what students get, fees are modest. There are two reasons for this. First is the fact that the Netherlands over the last 30 years has chosen to compete in terms of price as well as quality. The 'social partners'-government, trade unions, and employers' associations-have agreed that wage moderation is in everyone's interest.
ONGOING PROBE: A former Military Intelligence Bureau colonel, major general and another colonel, as well as five other people, have been questioned by prosecutors The Taipei District Court yesterday ordered that a retired colonel from the Military Intelligence Bureau (MIB) calling himself Taiwan’s “first special agent” be detained and held incommunicado as part of an ongoing investigation into espionage allegations targeting at least three former bureau officials. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office was seeking to detain former MIB colonel Chang Chao-jan (張超然) over his alleged involvement in introducing retired agents to Chinese national security authorities and passing confidential documents to China. Chang’s actions, if proven, would contravene the National Security Act (國家安全法), which carries a prison term of three to 10 years, and the National Intelligence
The US House of Representatives’ China Task Force, launched by Republicans earlier this year, yesterday proposed the China task force act, a package of 137 pieces of legislation, seven of which involve Taiwan, in the hope of getting it passed before the 117th US Congress convenes on Jan. 3. The act encompasses a wide range of issues, including combatting Beijing’s influence around the globe, establishing the US’ dominance in determining 5G network standards and means for bringing UN members to task for abusing their influence within the UN system. The seven acts involving Taiwan address concerns such as the Taiwan Assurance Act
Chinese health authorities investigating a COVID-19 outbreak have said that they discovered live coronavirus on frozen food packaging, a finding that suggests the virus can survive in cold supply chains. The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention on Saturday said that it had found traces of live COVID-19 on the outer packaging of frozen cod in the eastern city of Qingdao, marking the first time that live coronavirus has been detected on the outside of refrigerated goods. Researchers were investigating the source of a cluster of cases linked to a hospital in Qingdao. Genetic traces had previously been found in samples of
A Chinese soldier apprehended earlier this week by the Indian Army after he strayed across a tense de facto border was on Tuesday night handed back to China, an Indian government source in New Delhi said yesterday. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) soldier had on Monday been captured in the Demchok area of eastern Ladakh, the Indian Army said in a statement. The Chinese military also released a statement, saying that Corporal Wang Yalong was handed over early yesterday. New Delhi on Monday said that it had detained Wang after he crossed into Indian-controlled territory, while China announced that Wang had gotten
RSS