Government formation: Flemish negotiators consider curbing international students
Flemish government negotiators are considering curbing the intake of non-European students in higher education with a funding cap, De Tijd reports. Public funding for universities in the region would stop once non-Europeans represent 2 per cent of the student population.
The proposal is on the table in negotiations between conservatives N-VA, socialists Vooruit and Christian democrats CD&V and relates to students from countries outside the European Economic Area: the EU member states plus Liechtenstein, Norway and Iceland.
The Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and KU Leuven would be particularly hard hit if the proposal were to come into force. At the VUB, 2,000 students, or 7 per cent of the total student body, come from outside the EEA, while at KU Leuven, the figure is 4,500 students or 8.4 per cent.
Funding review
The proposed adjustment is part of a wider review of higher education funding. It would not be a saving for the government, a source close to the negotiations told De Tijd, as the budget allocated to student funding will not change. Instead, it would be redistributed, with Ghent University gaining as it has far fewer international students.
According to advocates, led by Flemish nationalists N-VA, international students put pressure on the education system. The party also believes the increasing “Englishification” of universities is not in the interest of Flemish students.
"The plans now before us turn back the clock"
Opponents insist on the need to attract international talent. “The plans now before us turn back the clock, which is sad for our economy and society, but also for our university and its top European position in research and innovation,” Luc Sels, rector of KU Leuven, said.
He referred to research by education economist Kristof De Witte, which showed that international students generate more benefits than costs because many continue to work in Belgium after their studies.
UGent rector Rik Van de Walle thinks the idea is logical. “By financing from taxes – including via European funding – Belgians and Europeans jointly pay for higher education,” he told De Tijd. “Non-EEA students or their parents do not, so it is understandable that the government puts funding for these students on the agenda.”
A graduation ceremony for students of the VUB and ULB universities on the Grand Place in Brussels, 4 October 2021 © BELGA PHOTO NIELS QUINTELIER
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