On Wednesday, Education Minister Eppo Bruins resolved a financial problem threatening student sports. Universities and universities of applied sciences can keep investing money in sports facilities on campus for the time being. He has put his stricter financial oversight on hold.

Now, he is doing the same for cultural centers. Student theater groups, cabaret clubs, and music associations can continue to use theaters or other campus spaces cheaply or for free. Bruins will “tolerate” the current situation, according to his spokesperson.

Relief

The news will come as a relief to cultural centers at universities and colleges. They often receive direct or indirect support from their educational institutions. For example, the cultural center Parnassos in Utrecht is part of the university, as is X in Delft. In Nijmegen, students can use one subscription to both participate in sports and access cultural offerings.

In Eindhoven, students use university facilities for theater, photography, dance, and music, among other activities. Students do not pay market rates for these spaces, meaning the university subsidizes them indirectly - and Bruins’s new rules were intended to put an end to that.

Protest over sports

Student sports clubs protested the rules because a sports pass threatened to become more than three times as expensive. On Wednesday, the Dutch House of Representatives agreed across the political spectrum that sports are an important part of student life. Bruins therefore promised not to enforce his rules for now.

During the debate, Sandra Beckerman from the SP party also emphasized the importance of cultural activities, but Minister Bruins limited his responses to student sports. He did not receive any further questions on culture during the debate.

A spokesperson for Minister Bruins called it logical to exclude culture from the new policy as well. “It stands to reason that what has been tolerated will continue to be tolerated for a while, and therefore will not be enforced against improper spending on, for example, culture.”

‘Bildung’

SP Member of Parliament Beckerman is glad that theater and, for example, the botanical garden will not be affected for the time being. “These are simply things that contribute to the well-being of students and to their Bildung. It’s good that the minister is tolerating it now, but a permanent solution needs to come soon.”

Thom Crielaard, chairman of Scala, the umbrella organization for cultural student associations in Eindhoven, is still cautious about feeling relieved. “Until the minister confirms that we definitely do not have to pay market rates, I remain anxious.”

On Wednesday, Bruins admitted that when drafting his new policy, he had not fully anticipated its consequences. He is now commissioning an impact analysis.