Resignation government: educational reforms in jeopardy
The Dutch government has fallen. Will certain plans concerning higher education be implemented or not? Plans like discontinuing the grant for students in their master’s and performance agreements for universities. Nothing is certain now that the coalition has resigned. Until the new elections (and the formation of a new government), the current cabinet will stay in office.
From a judicial perspective a resigned government is still fully authorized: it can propose bills and take decisions. However, it will be hard to push new legislation through the House of Representatives, because there is no political support for the government. In reality the resigned government won’t develop any new legislation.
Furthermore, an issue can be declared ‘controversial’. When the government resigns, the senate and the House of Representatives can label certain subjects disputed or controversial. Those subjects are put on ice. When the last government fell those subjects were, among others, mileage charge, the retirement age and the so-called ‘mansion taxation’.
With the government resigned, the plans concerning student grants and the achievement arrangements of universities and other educational institutions are put on hold. Fontys director Wilma de Koning tweeted: “Performance agreements HE (higher education, ed.) on ice? Good… all attention back to education. That’s how it should be!”. And Wim Boomkamp, chairman of the executive board of Saxon Colleges, tweets: “Fall of the cabinet casts doubt on performance agreements. Now it is time for reflection.”
Member of the exectutive board of Inholland, Doekle Terpstra, says that the school should pursue the plans, despite legislation. He tweets: “It’s unclear what happens with the profile and performance agenda of the higher education. Plan #inholland is to pursue the plans. It’s in everyone’s interest.”
The board of directors of Tilburg University has not responded to the resignation of the government. Yesterday afternoon the university council talked confidentially about the profiling plan of the university.
