For a second year in a row, the Flemish Government has clashed with universities in its region by rejecting a package of requests for English-language master's programmes.
The Dutch-language university in Brussels (VUB) as well as KU Leuven and UGent had applied for ten new engineering master's degrees which they had hoped to offer in English. Flemish Education Minister Ben Weyts (N-VA) confirmed on Monday that the Flemish Government has refused all applications from universities "because Dutch-language options for students were in danger of disappearing".
This move is usually exceptional but it now marks the second year in a row that all applications have been blocked, despite a favourable opinion from the relevant committee. "We are never going to allow our higher education to be de-Dutchified," Weyts said.
"English-language Bachelor's and Master's programmes may well be possible, but that does not mean that the Dutch-language variants can simply be discontinued," continued the Flemish minister.
Language laws
In Flanders, only higher education offers a limited amount of courses offered in another language – usually English – to ensure colleges and universities can hold international appeal to foreign students and lecturers – particularly as English language courses are becoming more common in Europe.
However, the language regulations in Belgium stipulate this can only be possible if a Dutch-language alternative continues to exist in Flanders – so Flemish students can have the option of following a course in their native language. Institutions can get rid of the Dutch-language course, but they have to submit a well-reasoned application to do so.
The three universities' applications for this purpose have been rejected, which means these 10 programmes can be taught in English, but institutions must retain a Dutch-language option too. Weyts argued that if the Flemish Government did accept all applications from the universities, existing Dutch-language study programmes would be scrapped.
"For instance, the request from the VUB to offer the Master in Physics and Astronomy with some 30 students only in English would also have led to the disappearance of the Master in Physics and Astronomy at the UGent: a course with some 80 students who consciously opted for a Dutch-language programme," he explained.
Last year, Weyts already intervened once in the phasing out of Dutch-language master's programmes in civil engineering. Weyts stressed that he understands that universities want to respond to the demands of some sectors and want more foreign students.
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"But that should not be at the expense of Flemish students. Our academic offer must remain accessible and democratic. And that means that Dutch must remain a full-fledged language of higher education." He added that the next education decree contains a compromise: Dutch-language alternatives can then be partly taught in another language (up to 18.33% in bachelor degrees and up to 50% in masters).
University directors argued that English-language master's programmes are growing in popularity, and Dutch-language programmes are in danger of becoming ghost programmes. They noted this put an unnecessary extra workload on already overworked professors.
