Dutch students protest education cuts   

By The Holland Times Tuesday 02 February 2010, 11:02

Students in Rotterdam and Utrecht spent the night at their universities Monday. The demonstrations are in protest to proposed cuts to higher education funding.

Tuesday morning the students met to discuss the impact of the cuts and their continued response. Thursday a major demonstration is expected in Rotterdam.

The students are demonstrating against the Cabinet’s suggested abolition of the basic grant, which many youths rely on to cover tuition fees.

They argue that access to higher education is important and should not be restricted based on the income of a student’s parents.

In Utrecht the protesters stayed the night in the main building of the city's university, while in Rotterdam ten students from two faculties of Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) held demonstrations. Both groups were supported by students from throughout Holland, including Amsterdam and Nijmegen.

The students say the protests were meant to spark discussions with the institutions. However, they say the education boards of both universities have shown no intention of negotiating seriously and thus respond to their requests.