The political discussion about fewer foreign students and more Dutch-language education, argues RUG professor Lucy Avraamidou, stems from only one thing: xenophobia.
The world news has been downright depressing for months, but closer to home the university news is not much better. Not a day goes by without me getting involved in a conversation about the ‘influx’ of international students and a debate about the language of instruction in Dutch higher education.
One bright spot is that our leadership opposes proposed measures to stem this ‘influx’, because it oscillates between financial crises and attempts to maintain a strong international profile.
There are two problems with the current discussion, one more important than the other. The first is that the word ‘influx’ makes me sick, because it suggests that we, the internationals, have come to the Netherlands uninvited, found a classroom or office and refuse to leave.
The second problem is that the discussion puts international students and staff in a position where they should be grateful for a place in the academic community.
This is unfair and unethical considering that both students and staff were actively recruited ten years ago as part of the internationalization efforts of Dutch universities. Now that that task is over, international staff and students are confronted with linguistic nationalism, to say the least.
As if we, the internationals, have arrived in the country uninvited and refuse to leave
In reality, the fixation on the language of instruction is nothing more than a symptom of a larger social problem that universities should be concerned with: xenophobia, or the fear of foreigners.
It is the same fear that fueled Brexit in 2020 and led to a 53 percent drop in EU students at British universities the following year, with non-British staff leaving the country and departments and programs closed.
I have been wondering for some time who benefits most from internationalization. To solve this dilemma, I naturally started doing some research. It did not surprise me that there is a lot of contemporary research on internationalization in higher education.
Still, I was a bit surprised to discover that there is a clear consensus, which makes me wonder what this debate is actually about: those who benefit most from internationalization are Dutch students and employees, not international ones.
In addition to the obvious major economic benefits for both universities and local businesses, research points to four key benefits of internationalization:
1. Dutch students and teachers are introduced to other perspectives and cultures within their own academic environment. Without leaving their home, they have the opportunity to gain insight into different worldviews and to increase their global awareness and intercultural skills.
Universities must resist the nationalistic times we live in
2. Dutch students have access to a wider range of study programs aimed at the global market that would not otherwise exist. In this way, they not only become competitive within their own country through the presence of international companies, but also outside it.
3. Dutch students are taught by teachers from different parts of the world. In this way, they are exposed to more teaching methods and build scientific knowledge that transcends national boundaries.
4. Employees benefit from collaboration with international institutions and have access to a wider range of funding opportunities, exchanges and research, which students also benefit from.
Internationalization in your own country – what a privilege to experience!
Universities must resist the nationalist, racist and imperialist times in which we live. They have a social responsibility to help policy makers and local communities embrace the value of ethnic, cultural, religious, linguistic and national diversity. But before they do that, their employees and students must embrace it themselves.
Your international students and employees are not feeling well.
LUCY AVRAMIDOU
Lucy Avraamidou is professor at the Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE) and former columnist for UKrant
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