Nuffic, the Dutch organization for international cooperation in higher education has confirmed it will close its network of Netherlands Education Support Office (Neso) in India and the phase-out will be finalized by December 31, 2023.
The announcement comes on the backdrop of long-standing indications that the Netherlands government was looking to clamp down on enrollment of international students.
“We regret to inform you that the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and Nuffic have decided on a phase-out schedule for the Netherlands Education Support Offices (NESOs),” Arun Thekkedath, the Chief Representative Officer of Nuffic Neso India, stated in an interview with the Free Press Journal.
“This decision aligns with the government's response to the Interdepartmental Policy Survey on the Internationalisation of (higher) education, leading to the phasing out of the subsidy. As a result, NESO India's phase-out will be finalised by December 31, 2023. Consequently, our services will be limited from July 1, onwards, with a focus on back-office activities, “ added Thekkedath.
As per the statement issued on the Nuffic official website, this phase-out schedule takes into account various circumstances per country, including Nuffic's presence for the implementation of programmes such as the StuNed scholarship programme and the Orange Knowledge Programme.
According to local media reports, the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture had announced intentions to cut Nuffic’s budget since 2021, and the Netherlands Education Support Office had previously warned that proposed funding cutbacks might jeopardise internationalisation in the Netherlands and put the Nuffic offices abroad at risk.
Influx of international students has caused bottlenecks
On April 21, 2023, Minister of Education, Culture and Science Robbert Dijkgraaf announced new plans to lower the number of international students enrolling at Dutch universities.
According to data accessed by the Free Press Journal, there were 3,504 Indian students studying in the Netherlands last academic year 2022-2023.
When asked about the grounds for the restriction on international enrollment expansion, a Nuffic headquarters spokesperson told the Free Press Journal, "The total number of international students increased from 31,492 (2006) to 122,287 (2022). The overall impact of international students (and staff) is widely regarded as very positive. However, at certain universities and in certain programs, the growing number of international students has resulted in bottlenecks such as crowded lecture halls, student housing shortage, high workload for university staff, and fear that the large number of students will negatively impact the quality of education and the opportunities for local Dutch students.”
“Therefore, the Dutch Minister of Education, Robert Dijkgraaf, among other things, wants to introduce instruments that make it possible for Dutch universities to have a better control on the number of incoming international students. Please note that this proposed bill is not final and that it is unclear what will happen with this bill due to the recent resignation of the Dutch government,” added the spokesperson.
