The Hague : 15,000 students expected to demonstrate against grant cuts - DutchNews, 21 janvier 2011

At least 15,000 students and other university staff are expected to gather in The Hague on Friday in protest at the government’s plans for higher education. (Dutchnews, 21 janvier 2011)

The students are angry that the government plans to scrap grants for masters degrees and to increase fees for slower students by €3,000 a year.

They also say cuts in government spending on higher education will damage universities and colleges, and make it more difficult to reach targets on research and development.

The government wants the Netherlands to be one of the top five knowledge-driven economies in the world.

Radicals

The AD reports that police believe a group of unnamed ‘radicals’ are planning to disrupt the demonstration by looking for a confrontation with the police.

Mayor Jozias van Aartsen and police chief Henk van Essen have ‘taken the necessary measures to counteract this and make sure the demonstration proceeds smoothly’.

The mayor did not say what extra steps have been taken. The LSVB students’ organisation said it was aware of the threat and is in continual contact with the police.

The organisation expects between 15,000 and 20,000 students will gather on the Malieveld open space close to parliament. The demonstration, which will be addressed by speakers such as Labour leader Job Cohen, begins at 13.00 hours.

Extra train and trams services have been laid on to cope with the expected number of protesters.

Disturbances spoil end of student protest against funding cuts

Dutchnews, 21 Janvier 2011

Riot police clashed with student protesters at the end of a mass demonstration against funding cuts in the centre of The Hague on Friday.

A group of between 300 and 500 students had gathered around the parliament building after the main demo had ended and were eventually dispersed by police, news agency ANP said.

Order was restored after charges by riot police at around 17.00 hours, ANP said.

Mass gathering

Between 11,000 and 15,000 students and university staff gathered on the Malieveld on Friday in protest at government plans to cut university funding and reduce student grants. According to Nos television, it was the biggest student demonstration in the Netherlands since 1988.

The students are angry at government plans to make slow students higher fees. Students who take a year longer than the standard three years to get a degree will have to pay an extra €3,000 a year in university or college fees.

University budgets will also be cut by €3,000 for each slow student. The aim of these changes is to generate €370m.

The government is also planning to stop giving students any grants for their masters studies.

Professors

Some 1,000 professors and lecturers also took part in the protests in full academic garb.

Police had taken extra security measures because of rumours that ’radicals’ were planning to disrupt the protests. But by 16.00, as the demonstration began to break up, there had been no trouble.

In a speech to the students, Alexander Pechtold, leader of the Liberal democratic party D66 pointed out that he, prime minister Mark Rutte and foreign minister Maxime Verhagen all took far longer to complete their degrees. Rutte took six years and Verhagen 11.

Junior education minister Halbe Zijlstra, who is in charge of pushing though the changes, was greeted by boos when he addressed the crowd. The minister said he understood students’ worries but that stressed the changes are necessary to keep spending on student loans down.