A man arrested by the Greek authorities on Friday for trafficking in women is suspected of Islamic terrorism, reported the electronic edition of Kathimerini.
On Friday, with the help of international police cooperation channels, Greek police broke up a women’s trafficking ring consisting of two criminal organizations. During the large-scale operation, authorities arrested 22 people in Athens and Thessaloniki, including 11 members of the organization and 11 brothel staff. 51 women were rescued from the site, of which 48 Colombians, 2 Venezuelans and 1 Albanian, who were then given help and protection.
The suspected man is a foreigner from the Middle East, who in recent years has been at the center of an investigation by Greek security services following information implicating him in links to the activities of the Islamic State. The man co-owns a night club in Athens with an Albanian, also accused in the women’s trafficking case.
According to the newspaper, the Middle Eastern man arrived in Greece after escaping from prison, but this has not been confirmed by Greek police.
The proceeds of the criminal network were laundered through restaurants and a real estate firm owned by a 71-year-old woman with a long criminal history of human trafficking, known in the underworld as “Marina.”
Associates of the organization persuaded young girls to work in Greece with the promise of high wages, but instead took away their travel documents and sold them, keeping their share of the proceeds.
The authorities estimate that the profits reached 160,000 euros per month, reports the Greek television “Sky”.
Illustrative Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/santorinni-greece-during-daytime-161275/
Due to the unrest for the 77th edition of the festival, the national and municipal police are deploying a “coordinated system” with additional forces and security measures in the pedestrian areas.
The Avignon Festival, one of the largest theater events in the world, begins today with a new director – Thiago Rodriguez, and increased security measures due to the unrest in France, AFP reported.
Every year in July, the City of the Popes becomes a city of theater, divided into an “inside” part – the official festival, and an “outside” part – the largest market for live performances in France.
Due to the unrest for the 77th edition of the festival, the national and municipal police are deploying a “coordinated system” with additional forces and security measures in the pedestrian areas. A jamming system will be in place in the air to enforce the ban on drone flights over Avignon.
The Avignon Festival has around 40 stages in the city and beyond, and the festival outside the city has 140 locations and welcomes nearly 1,200 theater companies.
Thiago Rodríguez, who succeeded Olivier Pi, chose to open his first edition with Prosperity, a social spectacle by Julie Delique, the second director to present a play in the Court of Honor of the Papal Palace after Ariane Mnushkin.
The other performance that opens the festival is “G.R.O.O.V.E” by French hip-hop pioneer Bintu Dembele, who organizes a dance walk.
Thiago Rodríguez has decided to invite one language to each edition. This year, the honor is given to English “in response to Brexit”.
“At a time when walls are being built to keep us away from our British friends, we need to build bridges. It’s a kind of cultural diplomacy,” says Rodriguez, noting that after years of absence, the Edinburgh Festival management will be on place to trace French achievements.
Even before the festival started, the new director had to deal with two unpleasant surprises. A long-awaited performance was removed from the program, and the cost of reopening one of the legendary stages of the festival – the “Carrier de Bulbon”, about fifteen kilometers from Avignon, turned out to be very high.
Polish director Christian Lupa’s Emigrants, co-produced by the festival, was canceled a month ago by the Comédie de Genève, where it was due to premiere, due to a confrontation between the director, accused of bad treatment, and the technical team. It was replaced by a play directed by Thiago Rodríguez.
“We have seen across the world, and time, how social media has become a major vehicle in spreading hate speech at an unprecedented speed, threatening freedom of expression and a thriving public debate,” said Alice Wairimu Nderitu, Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide, who is the global focal point on the issue.
“We saw how the perpetrators in the incidents of identity-based violence used online hate to target, dehumanize and attack others, many of whom are already the most marginalized in society, including ethnic, religious, national or racial minorities, refugees and migrants, women and people with diverse sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and sex characteristics,” said Ms. Nderitu.
Key recommendations include:
The need to ensure respect for human rights and the rule of law when countering online hate speech, and apply these standards to content moderation, content curation and regulation.
Enhancing transparency of content moderation, content curation and regulation.
Promoting positive narratives to counter online hate speech, and foster user engagement and empowerment.
Ensuring accountability, strengthen judicial mechanisms and enhance independent oversight mechanisms.
Strengthening multilateral and multi-stakeholder cooperation.
Advancing community-based voices and formulating context-sensitive and knowledge-based policymaking and good practice to protect and empower vulnerable groups and populations to counter online hate speech.
The policy paper builds upon earlier initiatives, including The UN Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech, which seeks to enhance the UN’s response to the global spread and impact of hate speech.
The Strategy makes a firm commitment to step up coordinated action to tackle hate speech, both at global and national levels, including the use of new technologies and engaging with social media to address online hate speech and promote positive narratives.
Role for tech, social media
“Digital technologies and social media play a crucial role in tackling hate speech, through outreach, awareness-raising, providing access to information, and education,” noted the Special Adviser.
“The transformation of our lives into a hybrid format, with the share of our life spent online ever increasing, ensuring that we all enjoy the same rights online as we do offline has become ever more important,” noted Dr. Ahmed Shaheed, Deputy Director, Essex Human Rights, Big Data and Technology Project and former UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief.
‘Mass atrocities’
He warned of “the acts of violence that follow from online incitement to violence, including mass atrocities”, beyond the digital divides created by online hate.
“Unfortunately, our investment in countering online hate has not yet matched the reality of its dissemination and impact online. And it remains our responsibility – all relevant stakeholders – to step up our efforts to preserve the hard-won gains achieved to-date in advancing non-discrimination and equality,” concluded Special Adviser Nderitu.
“We have expressed concerns” over the investigation into her death, said Viviana Krsticevic, a member of the Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, speaking at a press conference in Geneva: “in particular over the fact that today her family’s right to truth and justice remains unfulfilled”.
She added that the investigations had “fallen short of international human rights norms, and, moreover, efforts to shed light on the circumstances of her death have been hindered.”
Earlier, the Fact-Finding Mission told the Human Rights Council’s 47 Member States that the overall human rights situation in Iran risked deteriorating further amid reports that new legislation is being considered, that proposes harsher punishments on women and girls not wearing their veil according to strict rules.
The death of 22-year-old Ms. Amini after her arrest by Iran’s so-called morality police sparked mass protests across the country – and condemnation from independent UN human rights experts, who called her a victim of “Iran’s sustained repression and systematic discrimination against women”.
“We have identified major risks of further erosion of women’s and girls’ rights in Iran”, said Ms. Krsticevic. “We have expressed concern about the continuous repression of women and girls opposing forced veiling and their reported use of facial recognition technologies to identify and arrest them.”
The rights expert also pointed to information indicating students were being suspended from classes, “or banned from dormitories for their defiance of the compulsory veiling law”.
Echoing concerns about the proposed use of flogging for those defying compulsory veiling rules, Sara Hossein, Chair of the Fact-Finding Mission, said some of the penalties were “clearly what would constitute inhuman punishment under international law”.
The Fact-Finding Mission – established by the Human Rights Council in November 2022 – is also investigating whether alleged poisonings of girls in schools have been orchestrated as a way to punish or deter girls for their involvement in the protests.
“Just two months after the protests occurred, a series of alleged poisonings started in dozens of schools in 28 provinces”, said Ms. Krsticevic. “Reports said this may have been may have been orchestrated to punish girls or to turn them from involvement in the protests and are being duly investigated in the framework of our mandate.”
Ten months after Ms. Amini’s death, no official data has been made publicly available regarding those arrested, detained, charged or convicted in connection with the protests, the experts said.
But reports continue to emerge of arrests and detentions, including women and girls defying the country’s forced veiling law and of family members being harassed.
“The aftermath of those protests in the form of intimidation of families and of reprisals continue unabated,” said Shaheen Sardar Ali, member of the Fact-Finding Mission.
She added that according to the Iranian authorities, 22,000 people had been pardoned in connection with the protests.
“This suggests that many more were detained or charged. Unfortunately, no disaggregated data exists on the nature of the accusations against these people or on those convicted, still detained or charged for their involvement in the protests.”
Those involved in the protests reportedly continue to suffer harsh punishments, including for exercising rights protected under international human rights law, the experts said.
This is despite concerns over a lack transparency in legal proceedings and failure to meet basic fair trial and due process guarantees under international human rights law.
Death penalty surge
“Since November 2022, at least 26 individuals have reportedly been sentenced to death in connection with the protests and dozens more have been charged with offences carrying the death penalty,” said Ms. Sardar Ali.
“Seven men have already been executed following these proceedings marred by serious allegations of fair trial violations, including confessions extracted under torture.”
To date, the Fact-Finding Mission has sent seven letters to the Iranian Government, including repeated requests for a visit to the country to gather information critical to its investigations, which have yet to be answered.
The experts met the lead Iranian officials on Tuesday, who have been appointed to the Government’s Special Committee investigating the protests.
The Fact-Finding Mission is preparing a comprehensive report on its findings to the Human Rights Council for its 55th session in March 2024.
Replying in the Council on Wednesday, Iran refuted the allegations made in the report of a disproportionate response by security forces to the protests.
The violations include conflict-related sexual violence against internally displaced and refugee women and girls forced to flee for their lives.
Agency chiefs from humanitarian coordination office OCHA, the human rights office (OHCHR), the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN sexual and reproductive health agency (UNFPA), UN Women and the World Health Organization (WHO), called for an immediate end to the violence, including sexual violence as a tactic of war to terrorize people.
They demanded prompt, thorough, impartial and independent investigations into all alleged gross violations and abuses of human rights and international humanitarian law; and for perpetrators to be held accountable.
They also stressed that all parties must respect their obligations under international law to protect civilians, including women and girls, including allowing safe passage for survivors to access healthcare.
Health workers also need to be provided access to reach health facilities to carry out their lifesaving work.
The UN chiefs also stressed the need to swiftly scale up gender-based violence prevention and response services in Sudan as well as in neighbouring countries, where those fleeing violence have sought safety as refugees, to meet the soaring needs.
28 refugees killed in Khartoum
On Tuesday the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, urged Sudan’s warring generals to allow safe passage for civilians, after it was confirmed that 28 refugees being hosted by Sudan were killed in Khartoum.
The area where they were living was engulfed by the fighting on 25 June, the agency said in a news release, with other refugees injured during the incident.
“UNHCR is appalled and expresses its deepest condolences to the affected families. We are working to help trace relatives and victims and provide psychosocial and other support.”
Mamadou Dian Balde, UNHCR regional director, said that “once again refugees and other civilians are the innocent victims of this tragic war…Everyone must honour international humanitarian law and human rights law and prioritize the safety and well-being of affected communities, including refugees.”
Healthcare and hunger: Tedros
During his weekly health update, UN health agency chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus addressed the impact of the ongoing conflict in Sudan.
“The health needs of the population are high, access to healthcare remains very difficult, and the conditions created by the conflict in Sudan increase the risk for epidemics to spread and kill,” said the WHO Director General.
There has also been a dramatic increase in the number of people at highest risk of hunger, which has jumped from 11.7 million to 19.1 million.
WHO has also verified 50 attacks against healthcare, including 32 incidents affecting facilities, and 10 deaths and 21 injuries among health workers and patients.
Tedros said he was appalled by attacks on healthcare, as well as increasing gender-based violence. He stressed that health workers and facilities must be protected, and corridors for the delivery of humanitarian and health supplies must be safeguarded.
“Corridors for humanitarian and health supplies to be delivered need to be safeguarded”, said Tedros.
“We urge all parties to the conflict in Sudan to cease hostilities now before the health and hunger crisis gets even worse.”
Ahead of the critical SDG Summit in September, the campaign will amplify an urgent call for ambitious new action, showcase the Goals as the blueprint for sustainable progress globally, and mobilize people everywhere around this shared agenda for our common future.
Halfway towards the 2030 deadline, the promise of the SDGs is in danger. For the first time in decades, progress on development has gone into reverse due to the combined impact of climate disasters, conflict, economic downturn, and lingering COVID-19 effects.
The SDG Summit will bring world leaders together at UN Headquarters in New York on 18-19 September to reaffirm their collective commitments to the Goals and the promise to leave no one behind.
It’s being billed as a defining moment to urgently put the world back on track to achieving the SDGs.
Getting everyone on board
One core campaign component is the call for individual action worldwide on the SDGs through the UN’s ActNow initiative.
“We want to get everyone on board for the SDGs”, said Nanette Braun, Director of Campaigns in the UN Department for Global Communications. “Our hope is that decision-makers and individual citizens alike will feel inspired to join the conversation and contribute to achieving the Goals with new resolve and ambition.”
Starting today, in a major digital activation across platforms and countries worldwide, the UN campaign aims to re-energize the conversation about the Goals.
Stellar circle of supporters
A curated group of high-profile influencers from entertainment, sports and beyond, the Circle of Supporters, will mobilize their social media communities with a combined reach of more than 80 million globally.
Some of the names lending their support are Grammy award winner Ciara, Academy Award winner Michael Douglas, and former captain of the Argentinian national football team, Javier Zanetti.
From advocating for public transport, to fundraising for schools or speaking up for equality, the platform lists steps that everyone can take to accelerate progress on the SDGs and create better lives on a healthier planet for all.
The agency’s emergency food and nutrition assistance operation in the Sahel began in June, focussing on refugees, newly displaced people, malnourished children under five, pregnant women and breastfeeding women and girls.
Food insecurity overall has reached a 10-year high in West and Central Africa, affecting 47.2 million people during the June-August lean season.
Mali and Chad will be hit the hardest said WFP, with 800,000 people at risk of resorting to desperate measures to cope, including engaging in survival sex, early marriage, or joining armed groups.
“We’re in a tragic situation. During this year’s lean season, millions of families will lack sufficient food reserves to sustain them until the next harvests in September and many will receive little to no assistance to tide them through the gruelling months ahead”, said Margot Vandervelden, Regional Director ad interim, for Western Africa.
“We must take immediate action to prevent a massive slide into catastrophic hunger”.
Building resilience
Conflict remains a key driver of hunger in the region, leading to forced population displacements that have emptied out entire villages and limit communities’ access to land for farming.
WFP’s lean season response aims to provide life-saving food and nutrition assistance to families facing acute hunger at a time when food stocks dwindle.
However, proactive investments in prevention and smart longer-term solutions can significantly reduce reliance on such emergency actions.
These solutions include resilience-building activities, social protection programmes and future innovations or investments, such as climate insurance pay-outs.
Life-saving assistance
WFP’s integrated resilience programme in the Sahel focuses on collective watershed planning, land recovery and rehabilitation, and support for smallholder farmers, linking to support such as school meals and other nutrition services.
In Niger, for example, 80 percent of villages that received WFP resilience support did not require humanitarian assistance in 2022, unlike other villages outside the scheme, in the same areas.
This success meant that about half a million people did not need humanitarian food aid thanks to WFP’s long-term investments in resilience strengthening.
Expanding these activities will be crucial in preventing emergency needs from escalating. The programme also contributes to strengthening national capacity to anticipate and respond to climatic and other shocks that are drivers of humanitarian need.
GENEVA (5 July 2023) – UN human rights experts* asked Turkiye last Tuesday not to deport over 100 members of a persecuted religious minority who were seized last month at the Turkish-Bulgarian border. They also urged the government to do an accurate risk assessment of their situation in order to avoid refoulement (the practice of sending refugees or asylum seekers), which could result in serious violations of human rights. Two NGOs (CAP Freedom of Conscience and Human Rights Without Frontiers) also advocated for the same during a conference organized by the OSCE ODIHR.
“Under international law, the Government of Türkiye is called to act in line with its obligation not to deport 101 members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light, who may be at risk of serious human rights violations if they are returned to their countries of origin,” the experts said.
On May 24, 2023, a group of 104 Ahmadis, including 27 women and 22 children, arrived at the Turkish side of the Kapikule border, requesting asylum in Bulgaria. Turkish police allegedly used excessive force to stop them, injuring at least 30 members of the gathering, including nine women. Turkish authorities arrested them at the Edirne police station.
According to the experts, numerous people have been tortured or subjected to cruel, inhuman, or humiliating treatment by police officers, including beatings, sexual harassment, and purposeful sleep deprivation.
The group was subsequently moved to the deportation centre in Edirne, and the Turkish Ministry of Interior issued deportation orders for 101 people.
The UN experts stated:
“Since the inception of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light in 1999, its members have been labelled as heretics and infidels and are often subjected to threats, violence, and illegal detention”.
And further added that these Ahmadis:
“(Ahmadis) are particularly at risk of detention due to blasphemy laws, in violation of their right to freedom of religion or belief,”
The group consists of people who fled to Turkey from various Muslim-majority nations owing to religious persecution.
According to the experts, one of those facing deportation spent six months in jail in his home country after being accused of offences such as insulting Islam and offending the Prophet. Another 15 have recently been released on bond after being arrested for belonging to a ‘deviant cult’ in their country.
“The prohibition of refoulement is absolute and non-derogable under international human rights and refugee law,” the experts said.
“States are obliged not to remove any individual from their territory when there are substantial grounds to believe the person could be subjected to serious human rights violations in the State of destination,” the UN experts said.
“Given the risks of human rights violations this group faces as a religious minority, Türkiye is required to make an individual, impartial and independent assessment of the protection needs of each person and the risks they may face if returned to their countries,” the experts said.
Denouncing the situation at the OSCE
CAP Freedom of Conscience and Human Rights Without Frontiers, two well-known NGOs working to defend Freedom of Religion or Belief inside Europe and abroad, and who have been keeping the UN experts timely informed of the situation, also too the opportunity of the Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting III of the OSCE ODIHR meeting on 27 June 2023 in Hofburg, Vienna, stated that they:
“are deeply concerned about the situation of over 100 members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light who have been blocked by the Turkish authorities at the Turkish-Bulgarian border since the end of May. Ankara has decided to deport them back to their home countries where they would face imprisonment, torture and even execution in the case of Iran. They were denied entry of the European Union and faced violent treatment by the Turkish authorities, assaulting, kicking, and beating them with batons and firing gunshots in the air. Afterwards, they were transferred to the Edirne detention center where they still are. The Ahmadi Religion minority has been subjected to harsh persecution in numerous Muslim- majority countries such as Algeria, Morocco, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Malaysia, and Turkey because they are considered heretics. CAP/ Conscience et Liberté and Human Rights Without Frontiers urge Turkey to immediately annul all deportation orders and to grant them asylum in a safer land outside Turkey”.
The Special Rapporteurs, Independent Experts and Working Groups are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures’ experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.
Storm Poly unleashed chaos upon air travel operations at Schiphol Airport, resulting in significant disruptions for hundreds of flights to and from Amsterdam on Wednesday. As the storm continued to intensify throughout the morning, the number of flight delays and cancellations escalated, causing frustration among travellers.
To keep residents informed and safe, the Dutch government promptly issued three NL-Alert bulletins to residents of Noord-Holland province around 9 a.m., providing essential updates in both Dutch and English.
Situated within Noord-Holland province, Schiphol Airport faced the brunt of the extreme weather conditions caused by Storm Poly. The NL-Alert message urgently advised residents to prioritize their safety by staying indoors and emphasized that the emergency number 112 should only be dialled in life-threatening situations.
Meteorologists had predicted powerful wind gusts of up to 120 kilometres per hour across the entire country, with southern regions expected to experience gusts of up to 90 kilometres per hour.
Throughout Wednesday morning, Schiphol Airport’s website encountered intermittent accessibility issues, making it challenging for travellers to obtain real-time information. A prior warning issued by Schiphol Airport on Tuesday had already alerted passengers to the impending delays and cancellations. In fact, even before the storm made landfall, KLM alone had proactively cancelled more than 200 flights in anticipation of the severe weather conditions. The airport management, in a statement, highlighted the expected combination of strong winds, heavy rainfall, and poor visibility, which would severely hamper air traffic between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., leading to a cascade of further cancellations and delays for both incoming and outgoing flights.
In a recent update, Eurocontrol, the European air traffic control organization, warned of significant delays due to adverse wind conditions. As a result, arriving flights were regulated to ensure safe operations. According to the latest NOTAM bulletin addressed to pilots, it was projected that normal flight operations at Schiphol Airport and the surrounding airspace would not resume until 5 p.m. Given these circumstances, airlines were strongly advised to proactively cancel flights in accordance with the situation.
Despite the turmoil, some regional airports managed to mitigate the impact of Storm Poly. At Eindhoven Airport, the first five arriving flights were fortunate enough to land relatively on schedule, providing a glimmer of relief for passengers. Only two subsequent flights experienced minor delays during the morning.
Similarly, Rotterdam The Hague Airport remained relatively unaffected, with no significant disruptions reported. However, British Airways decided to cancel its roundtrip service between the regional airport and London City, recognizing the need for caution during the prevailing weather conditions.
Number of severe storms (minimum wind force 10), per month since 1910 | Storm Poly is the first ‘very severe’ summer storm (minimum wind force 11) ever in the Netherlands
Maastricht Aachen Airport, with only a one-morning departure scheduled, successfully took off on time, evading the chaos caused by Storm Poly. Additionally, no delays were announced for the two departing flights or the arrivals scheduled for the afternoon and evening, offering a sense of respite for those utilizing the airport’s services.
As Storm Poly continued to rampage across the region, travellers were advised to stay updated with the latest information and adhere to any instructions or alerts issued by authorities. It is crucial to remain patient and understanding during such challenging circumstances, as safety remains the top priority for both airlines and airports. Keep track of the developing situation and consult official sources for the most accurate and up-to-date information.
In conclusion, Storm Poly’s impact on air travel at Schiphol Airport caused widespread flight cancellations and delays, affecting hundreds of passengers. The Dutch government promptly issued NL-Alert messages for Noord-Holland province, urging residents to prioritize their safety.
While Schiphol Airport faced significant disruptions, other regional airports like Eindhoven, Rotterdam The Hague, and Maastricht Aachen managed to navigate the storm with relative success. Stay informed, exercise patience, and prioritize safety during this challenging time.
Higher education institutions are deeply worried about the new idea of the country’s Ministry of Education
Even after the exit of Great Britain from the European Union, many of the people who looked to the Island to complete a prestigious higher education, turned their heads to another country – the Netherlands.
Dutch universities enjoy a very good reputation, and they also offer a large number of courses in the increasingly universal English language for the global world.
Thus, at one point the flow of European (and not only) candidate students was redirected to Amsterdam, Leiden, Utrecht, Tilburg, Eindhoven and Göringen. Now, however, the Dutch government wants to put an end to this and severely limit the teaching of English in the country’s universities.
Dutch Education Minister Robert Dijkgraaf plans to limit the percentage of hours universities teach in foreign languages, arguing that the current situation has overburdened the country’s higher education institutions and could lead to a decline in quality of education.
For 2022 alone, the country has welcomed over 115,000 international students, which represents about 35% of the total number of all students studying in higher education institutions there. The tendency is for their share to grow over the last decade.
The desire of the authorities is to reduce the teaching of foreign languages in the country to about 1/3 of the courses offered in the universities.
This restriction comes after last December the Ministry of Education asked higher education institutions to stop actively recruiting foreign students. The minister motivated the decision with the fact that the internationalization of Dutch education leads to an overload of the teaching staff and a lack of accommodation for students.
At the moment, there is still no clear plan on how the new changes will happen with the teaching of a foreign language, and according to the spokesperson of the line ministry, the idea in this case is not so much directed against foreign students as it aims to minimize the negative consequences on the quality of the education offered.
“The current growth will lead to overcrowded lecture halls, overburdening teachers, a lack of student accommodation and reduced access to curricula,” the department said in a statement to Euronews.
The Netherlands has always been famous for its good higher education institutions, attracting students from all over the world.
Therefore, they are of the opinion that the reduction of courses in English will help to restore the balance in the system, so that the leading international position of the Dutch universities is not threatened.
Minister Dijkgraaf, for his part, is currently betting on a serious reduction of foreign languages at the expense of stimulating Dutch-language programs.
One idea is to cut English-language programs entirely to leave more in the local language. The other is that only some courses remain in English, not entire programs.
In both options, it is possible to make exceptions for some specialties where there is a priority need to attract foreign personnel. However, experts comment that Dijkgraaf’s new plans contradict the entire philosophy of Dutch higher education in recent years.
According to Nuffic, the Dutch organization for internationalization in education, in the Netherlands a total of 28% of bachelor’s and 77% of master’s programs are taught entirely in English.
These figures show that it is no wonder that universities are in a tight spot right now. This is fully true of the Eindhoven University of Technology, which teaches all of its undergraduate and graduate programs in English.
“There is a lot of tension about exactly what these new measures will include in detail. For us, this is a problem because for specific courses such as artificial intelligence or electrical engineering, we do not find enough professors who can teach in Dutch,” explains Robert -Jan Smits from the Graduate School Management.
According to him, the Netherlands has always had the reputation of being an open, tolerant and liberal country, and all its success historically is based on these principles.
The University of Eindhoven is not the only one to raise its voice against the proposal to reduce the English language in universities.
“This policy will be very damaging to the Dutch economy. It will have a negative impact on innovation and growth. The Dutch have always emphasized how important it is to maintain a ‘knowledge economy’, but now I see that this is under threat as talent can to leave us,” explains Associate Professor of Economics David Schindler from Tilburg University.
“There is no doubt that international students are paying more than they are worth. They make up a significant proportion of all students and keep the doors of many universities open. Without them, entire disciplines will shrink dramatically and potentially even collapse when this funding disappears “, he adds.
According to the latest study by the Dutch Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis, foreign students contribute up to €17,000 to the Dutch economy for a student from the European Union and up to €96,300 for non-EU students.
The Ministry of Education also does not want to lose all their foreign students – on the contrary. However, according to them, it is important to motivate these students to learn the Dutch language so that they can then realize themselves better in the labor market.
According to Smits of the Eindhoven University of Technology, this is not really such a factor. According to him, 65% of the graduates of the educational institution stay in the Netherlands, although the programs at the university are only in English.
He is of the opinion that the changes will actually have the opposite effect – students will simply no longer consider the Netherlands as an option for their higher education.
Smits sees political overtones in the decision to cut English courses.
“There is a big debate in parliament about the influx of migrants. There is a nationalist movement all over Europe. Debates are starting to happen even in the academic system. Populist parties are starting to ask why we are going to fund the education of foreigners, better to use the money for our own people,” he says.
For him, this is the bigger problem – this rhetoric of extreme nationalism is becoming a trend that is affecting even the academic system.
Photo by BBFotoj: https://www.pexels.com/photo/grayscale-photo-of-concrete-buildings-near-the-river-12297499/
