Funding of part-time studies to be reviewed

The funding of part-time studies is subject to change. In the future a student will have more studies to choose from, but these options may get more expensive.

This change is due to a shift in government policy: instead of granting the funding directly to the educational institutions, the government has opted to give the funding to the student instead. This change will offer students a greater diversity in options, including private schools and institutions. The students will have the freedom to study wherever they want. However, the Volkskrant reports that this change in policy by secretary of state Zijlstra may increase tuition, as the educational institutions will make the students compensate for the missing funding.

The HBO council (a union representing the interests of graduate schools in the Netherlands) foresees several issues. A representative of the union, Maarten Brackel, claims in the Volkskrant that starting new educations will pose a greater challenge in the future. Educational institutions do not know whether or not students will take a liking to a new and unknown education; which makes it hard to judge if an education will break even in the future. This, in turn, will cause investment apprehension.

Secretary of state Zijlstra will reveal his plans concerning the part-time studies at the end of this month.