Dutch Minister of Education tries to present rosy picture to Parliament, is slapped down by student organisation
Students at universities and colleges in the Netherlands seem to be doing well during the Coronavirus pandemic, says the Dutch Minister of Education Ingrid van Engelshoven (D66) in a letter to the Dutch parliament. However, Minister Engelshoven has been accused of painting the situation in a somewhat better context: with the chairman of the Dutch student organiation the Interstedelijk Studenten Overleg (ISO) Dahran Çoban, says differently: “study results seem to be going well, but the students themselves are not. The first crisis months are over and the basis for education is there: now we have to look further at the long term and the mental well-being of students.”
It is still uncertain whether students will be able to physically follow that education after January or whether they will incur significant study delays. This lack of clarity is creating a lot of uncertainty among students, says Çoban: “All measures taken were necessary, but are for the short term. A study delay of one month can easily cost a student living away from home more than a thousand euros extra. We cannot stop hoping for physical education, but we must also offer (financial) perspective for the longer term. ”
Figures from various educational institutions show that since the Coronavirus, students have had difficulty motivating themselves, are more troubled by stress and are more often turning to a student psychologist with symptoms of depression or loneliness.
More information is available via the NOS.
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