Jews do not always feel understood, Moes writes

Protest is fine, but everyone should feel safe. That is the core message of a letter outgoing Minister of Education Gouke Moes sent to the House of Representatives just before the break. Among other things, the government commissioned research into the experiences of Jewish students and staff. They do not always feel heard or understood, Moes writes, although educational institutions are said to already be working on improvements.

Inflation may continue to affect higher education

Should universities and universities of applied sciences automatically receive more funding when wages and prices rise? This spring, the government made cuts through the so-called wage and price adjustment, something several parties in the House of Representatives are unhappy about.

In principle, the law could be changed so that higher education always receives full compensation for inflation, the government acknowledges. But what happens if cuts are still necessary, for example because of a setback in the national budget? Then savings would have to be made in a different way, is the conclusion—but cuts would still be unavoidable.

DUO continues to make things difficult for vulnerable students

Some students have—often for painful reasons—broken off contact with their father or mother and cannot expect any financial support from them. They can apply for a supplementary grant from student finance provider DUO, but for many the procedure has been too burdensome.

DUO introduced several measures, but these appear to have had little effect: the number of grants awarded has not increased, according to daily newspaper Trouw and investigative journalists from Investico. The outgoing cabinet likely does not see this as a major problem: further improvements were considered this spring but not implemented because they would have been too expensive.

Student associations want to save their houses

In 2025, many private landlords sold off their student houses. As a result, so-called association houses are also disappearing from the market. What if we buy those houses ourselves, several student associations are asking.

Het Financieele Dagblad reports that associations in Utrecht, Delft, Wageningen, and Leiden have set up their own investment vehicles to save student housing. With support from alumni, banks, and other investors, they aim to purchase dozens of houses, preserving hundreds of student rooms in the process.

Checks on ghost students

Is this tenant still a student? Since recently, student housing providers have been able to consult data from the student finance provider DUO via an app, newspaper Het Parool writes. Residents must use a special app for this purpose.

In many student complexes, only students are allowed to rent a room, but residents sometimes falsify proof of enrollment to qualify. Landlords can now spot such tricks more easily. They do not state it outright, but anyone who refuses to install the app effectively raises suspicion and can expect additional checks.

This article was translated using AI-assisted tools and reviewed by an editor