Students declare war against high tuition costs
A group of students have sent a ‘juridical war declaration’ to the Executive Boards of five Dutch universities. According to the students, universities ask too high tuition fee for a second master’s degree.
The students have united in a foundation, the Stichting Collectieve Actie Universiteiten (SCAU). In the letter which was sent to the universities of Utrecht, Leiden, Tilburg and Amsterdam (UvA and VU), the students appeal to the Public Administration Act. Through a lawyer they ask for the documents that provide insight into the foundations of the tuition fees increase, otherwise it will take legal action.
SCAU spokesman Cees Zweistra said in Vrije Universiteit’s newspaper Ad Valvas: “We find the arrogance of the university bosses very disturbing. They abuse their power by imposing exorbitant tuition increases for a second degree without adequate explanation.”
Zweistra wonders whether the high tuition fees of the institutions are not exceeding the legal maximum. “The tuition fees are meant to give institutions the opportunity to compensate for the government grants, but the fees are much higher. It seems that the universities are abusing the law.”
Dutch Students’ Unions LSVb and ISO support the foundation. The foundation’s Facebook page already has more than one thousand members. [TvN/transl. YV]
