• Student
  • 11/09/2024
  • Nederlands

More than 131,000 sign petition against slow-progress penalty

A total of 131,214 people have signed a petition in protest at government plans to impose a slow-progress penalty on students. The petition was presented to the House of Representatives on Tuesday with a slogan that translates roughly as ‘Take your penalty and shove it’.

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photo HOP

In fact, there were two petitions. One was initiated by opposition party GroenLinks-PvdA, the other by the Dutch Student Union, FNV Young & United, broadcaster BNNVARA and news platform De Marker. The petitions have since been merged.

Even the youth wings of coalition parties VVD and NSC have spoken out against the penalty, to be imposed on students who exceed the duration of their Bachelor’s or Master’s programme by more than a year. Higher education institutions are also firmly against the measure.

The government is currently gearing up to present its coalition programme on Friday. To date, it shows no sign of abandoning its slow-progress penalty plan.

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