Nuffic Blog
NVAO launches platform for good practices in internationalisation
In Australia good practices in Quality Assurance have been made public through a digital archive for many years now. Personally I find this a very good source of information. So why not launch one in the Netherlands as well? That is exactly what NVAO, the Dutch Flemish Accreditation Organisation, did earlier this month.
OBHE report on international branch campuses
The Observatory on Borderless Higher Education (OBHE) recently published its fourth report on international branch campus (IBCs), one of the intriguing developments in internationalisation in higher education of recent years.
Dutch impact on Mozambican Higher Education
Earlier this month the vice minister for Education of Mozambique, Dr Arlindo Chilundo, visited Nuffic to celebrate Nuffic's 60th anniversary and to attend the Mozambique day organised for Dutch institutions that participate in the NPT and NICHE programmes.
Gender in the Dutch international cooperation strategy
The more than 20 private sector development cooperation programmes that have recently been established in the Netherlands barely include a gender equality focus. Yet, at the national level, the government has articulated its intention to pursue women economic empowerment in its foreign policy. Can this gap between intention and action be closed? And how?
Student mobility to the Netherlands, compared with other EU countries
In an earlier blog I referred to Dutch students studying abroad. The same OECD data also allow for comparison between countries regarding student inflows, or better, regarding foreign students registering in the country.
Dutch students abroad in the academic year 2008-09
The most recent data on Dutch students registering in other countries for study (diploma mobility), reveal a further growth of the number of students studying abroad.
Strategic choices
Strategic choices in higher education was the main theme of a seminar held recently as part of an annual Netherlands higher education conference. Dutch higher education, as in many other countries, is facing massive cuts, reforms and the need to reorientate and refocus to safeguard its future.
Competing for the brightest students?
This blog argues that vision and coherence are needed in Dutch international student recruitment policies at the national level. Some countries manage to do it, so why can’t we?
Internationalisation strategy: supporting all aspects of HE strategy?
Internationalisation is present in many parts of higher education institutions like research, curricula, libraries, marketing and student population. Of course, any self respecting institution has included some reference to internationalisation in its vision, mission or activity plan.
Tackling low secondary school completion rates in Mozambique
The capacity building activities in developing countries managed by Nuffic focus on higher education in relation to the local labour market. Nevertheless, there is also recognition of the problems faced at lower education levels since these also impact on the magnitude of the capacity building needs of the labour market.
In the Swiss mountains
Early November I had the opportunity to spend a few days in Switzerland as I was invited by the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW).
Erasmus for All: more money, less paperwork
On 23 November 2011 the European Commission released its long-awaited proposal for Erasmus for All, the successor of the Lifelong Learning Programme. We already knew that the Commission wants to increase the budget for education purposes to approximately 19 billion euro. Now we also know how this money is to be spent.
Achieving sustainable self-reliance without educational capacity building an illusion
The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MinBuZa) and Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation (MinEL&I) recently announced more than 20 financial instruments to facilitate increased international cooperation between the Dutch private sector and the private sector in 60 selected developing countries all over the world.
TVET's turn to make its mark?
These are clear signals that TVET and skills development are back on the agendas of the donor community after a two-decade absence in which basic education topped the agenda.
HR capacity building firmly embedded in Europe’s current growth strategy
Human resource development is a major cross-cutting theme in Europe's overall growth strategy for the current decade: Europe 2020.
Towards new partnerships and funding sources for development cooperation in HE
The persistent financial crisis that has rung in with the new millennium has had a significant impact on the field of development cooperation, particularly with regard to budget.
National policies on internationalisation: boon or curse?
The chicken or the egg? Is internationalisation a bottom-up or top-down process? It is probably safest to say it is both. But if that is true do they meet? And if so where?
Debating the value of NQFs in developing countries
The rife use of old boy networks in job placement does not and should not make continued implementation of National Qualification Frameworks redundant.
Will new Dutch rule on offshore education hinder internationalisation?
The Dutch government requires all students studying for a Dutch degree to have studied in the Netherlands for at least one year. Is this a clever move?
Costs and benefits of foreign students in the Netherlands
Last week, Dutch newspapers published several articles on the costs of foreign students in The Netherlands. Especially the large number of Germans in Dutch higher education seemed to be a problem for some commentators.
