Education Minister Ebo Bruins and State Minister Mariel Bohl (Basic Education) have decided to cut nearly €342 million in support for education and science, they said in a letter to Parliament. It was already announced on Budget Day that their department would cut support by a total of more than €360 million, but it is not yet known exactly how. More than 10 million euros in cultural support will be cut.
Furthermore, the Dutch Public Broadcasting Corporation (NPO) will receive an additional reduction of more than €6.6 million, on top of the previously announced reduction of €100 million. Regional and local broadcasters will lose 1.9 million euros. The Gender Equality and LGBT Equality Plan will be reduced by €151,000.
The first reductions in subsidies will be noticeable as early as 2026. In that year the amount reached 138 million euros. This total amount will rise to 361 million euros in 2029.
Administrative burdens
“We understand very well that the measures will be painful,” the minister and state secretary wrote. For example, pupils and students receive less support in some areas and less money is provided for cooperation between education and business.
However, the Bruins and Paul tried to piece together the puzzle in such a way that the damage would be as minimal as possible. For example, ministers have scaled back support schemes that do not appear to be effective and have tried to reduce administrative burdens by cutting small support schemes.
NWO
The Minister and Secretary of State wanted to provide as much support as possible when it came to the Government’s priorities, such as basic literacy and numeracy skills and reducing teacher shortages.
The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) makes significant concessions. This important support for science has been reduced by approximately 22 million euros. Paul and the Bruins admit that this “could hurt the competitiveness of the Netherlands”. They will therefore consult with the NWO “on how to use remaining resources as effectively as possible.”
The coalition parties agreed in the main agreement that all ministries together must cut support by €1 billion. Since the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science operates a lot on subsidies, a relatively large portion of the cuts will be borne by this ministry.
By: National News Agency
