Dutch fret about rising sway of English on campus
Some 90% of the Dutch population speaks English, much to the envy of its neighbours
The growing popularity of English as a medium of instruction at Dutch universities is ringing alarm bells among local lecturers and students, with some now even calling for government intervention.
As Shakespeare’s mother tongue spreads in lecture halls across the country’s 14 universities, the Dutch education department is finalising a proposal to deal with the matter.
Britain’s exit from the European Union next year has only accelerated the phenomenon, with international students flocking to the Netherlands, which provides an ideal base for those wishing to study in English within the EU.
Some 90 per cent of the Dutch population speaks English, to the envy of many of its less Anglocompetent neighbours.
To add to the attraction, many local universities are much cheaper than their British or USbased counterparts.
English usage is particularly dominant at Master’s degree level.
Some “65 per cent of bachelor’s degrees are in Dutch while 15 per cent of master’s degrees are in Dutch,” education ministry spokesperson Michiel Hendrikx told AFP.
That some 85 per cent of all master’s degrees are presented in English riles the largest teachers’ association, whose acronym BON stands for ‘Better Education Netherlands’ in Dutch.
“The Dutch language is gradually disappearing from campuses,” lamented BON’s chairman Ad Verbrugge, stressing the “seriousness” of an “unprecedented situation in Europe.”