Teachers, professors and administrators from universities and colleges joined a student demonstration in Utrecht this afternoon. They stood together against the new government’s austerity plans. According to reporters, there were a total RTV Utrecht More than 500 people on their feet.

In May, the new coalition of PVV, BBB, NSC and VVD announced its desire to cut more than €1 billion from scientific education. The coalition’s main agreement also stipulates that students who take too long to complete their studies will again be fined.

“These cuts are equivalent to canceling a large university like Utrecht University,” said an angry Professor Rein Bode in Amsterdam. “We’re concerned about that. How can you do that in this day and age? There’s a shortage of people in all kinds of fields. We train these people and then you make cuts!”

Bod, who was also involved in the WO working group in Actie, was one of the professors who took part in the demonstration originally set up by the national student union LSVb. The LSVb fundamentally opposes the intention to reinstate the late student fine.

“It’s an oppressive measure,” says LSVb president Elissa Wehuizen. She points out that there are many reasons why students study longer. Wehuizen says many other measures have already been taken. “As the limited basic grant already discourages long-term study, the new coalition wants to penalize this by at least €3,000 per year. This is in addition to rents in excess of the maximum loan amount, higher tuition fees and higher interest on student loans. “.

Anton Bijbers, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Utrecht University, also strongly criticized the demonstration. He particularly criticized the arbitrariness with which the new coalition wanted to make cuts. “You can’t cut back on education across the board,” Beijpers says. “It’s not good for students. It’s not good for the quality of education. It’s not good for society.”