The selection procedures for courses with a limited number of available places has faced criticism for many years. Students who are the first in their family to go to higher education, as well as late developers and students from migrant backgrounds, are less likely to be admitted, it is claimed.

In their own way

Courses with a selective admissions process do whatever they please, was the tenor of a highly critical report by the Education Inspectorate a year ago. They devise their selection procedures “in their own way and at their own discretion, without consensus on what constitutes fair and effective selection.” The minister was urged to take corrective action.

Dijkgraaf today sent a letter to the House of Representatives calling on education institutions to reduce inequality of opportunity. He expects that programmes will return to allocating places by drawing lots more often, for example. If they do continue to select on the basis of suitability, they should improve their ability to apply relevant knowledge effectively.

Private tutoring

Dijkgraaf strongly opposes private tutoring for selection procedures that not everyone can afford. “Selection should be based on the qualities and skills of the prospective student, not the thickness of their parents’ wallet.”

To eliminate ‘bias’, he recommends programmes to utilise selection tools that defy training. Why not require candidates to write their cover letter at the higher education institution instead of at home, where some get help and others don’t? On-site testing and group assignments would also be an improvement, he thinks.

Finally, Dijkgraaf believes higher education institutions should provide better information about their selection procedures. That might encourage prospective students who find it all a bit daunting to take part in the procedure.

Future

Selection obviously limits the accessibility of courses, making it all the more important that it is performed diligently. Moreover, the government may in future have to take a more active role in deciding which programmes young people can pursue.

In this, Dijkgraaf refers back to the foresight study he commissioned. How can higher education contribute to a range of societal challenges, such as an ageing population and labour market shortages? He believes selection could have a role to play in this regard.

While not making any firm recommendations, he nonetheless highlights ‘considerations’, such as increased guidance and less freedom in choosing what to study. He will look into this further, with the idea of directing students more towards studies that benefit society as a whole.

Pre-university students

It is even possible that a pre-university (VWO) diploma will no longer be a sure way of getting into university. “Universities of applied sciences are keen to attract more pre-university (VWO) students in a targeted way in the future, while research universities want to stabilise student numbers through selective growth and contraction.”

He is also considering steps to give the government greater control over selection once again. Currently, programmes are responsible for their own selection procedures. There are pros and cons to this, however, given that “it is a recurring issue whether selection is the appropriate means of allocating available places at all”. A system of drawing lots could well be fairer.

Positive discrimination policy

Added to that, there are more societal issues to consider. “Segregation still plays a role in education; young people from different backgrounds are increasingly less likely to interact in educational settings.” The matter of positive discrimination therefore arises: perhaps affirmative action should play a role in student selection. Or, as Dijkgraaf puts it: education may in future “offer certain prospective students more opportunities than other groups when moving on to higher education, whether it be at a research university or a university of applied sciences”.

But Dijkgraaf is an outgoing minister and does not wish to make any firm decisions on this matter himself. “It falls to the next government to refine the social objectives of institutions and formulate a vision for the aforementioned challenges.”

Straitjacket 

The TU/e says Dijkgraaf's ideas are a good attempt to combat inequality of opportunities. "Noting that we have to wait and see how a potential new cabinet will react to these ideas," said spokesman Frans Raaijmakers. "At TU/e, we have started selection in 2018, with our starting point being to select the right student, not just the best student. Various participation bodies are therefore closely involved in shaping the selection processes. In addition, Dutch universities are actively working together to continuously improve the selection procedures."

On Dijkgraaf's idea of giving the government more influence over selection procedures in higher education, the spokesman stressed the large differences between selection programs. "You shouldn't want to force that too much into a straitjacket. As we read now, the minister seems to want to provide the new cabinet with wise counsel by naming these challenges, so we are still waiting to see what the concrete implementation might look like."