The Rector of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Jan Danckaert, regrets the reform of the funding model for non-European Economic Area (non-EEA) students, included in the Flemish Government Agreement.
Danckaert, who also chairs the Flemish Interuniversity Council, expressed his concern in an interview with Belga News Agency.
Danckaert said that, while there are both positive and negative aspects in the higher education section of the new Flemish Government Agreement, he specifically regrets the measures regarding funding for non-EEA students.
Á university should have an international outlook
The new Flemish government, led by Minister-President Matthias Diependaele, limits funding for these students to a maximum of 2% per higher education institution.
“That is very minimal,” Danckaert stated. “A university, by definition, should have an international outlook. The word ‘universe’ is embedded in ‘university.'”
Danckaert warns that the limitation will have a significant impact on the international character of both VUB and the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, the two Flemish institutions with the highest proportion of international students.
“As a result, there will likely be far fewer international students,” he explained. “Universities will have to choose between stricter admission requirements and higher tuition fees for these students.”
Measure contradicts aim of wooing skilled professionals
He also sees the funding restriction as running counter to the Flemish government’s ambition to attract more highly-skilled professionals.
“It is contradictory that our companies need to attract more highly-educated workers from abroad, particularly in STEM fields (Science,Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) , yet our universities are restricted from educating them here.”
The VUB Rector estimates that his university could lose between €1 million and €5 million in funding annually as a result of the reform.
