Keynote speech by State Secretary Albayrak has national resonance
04 Apr 2011
The keynote speech delivered by State Secretary of Justice Nebahat Albayrak on the Day of the International Student has also proven to have national resonance.
Scores of media and press items cited the social democrat, whose words gave international students sitting in the large hall of the World Forum with the sense that they are truly welcome in the Netherlands.
Less paperwork for students
As the official responsible for immigration policy in the present centre-left government, Ms Albayrak chose to emphasize the point that a high rate of international student participation in Dutch higher education is of vital importance for the continued development of this country’s knowledge economy.
She went on to describe some of the government measures put in place in recent years to make it easier for students from outside the European Union to come to the Netherlands to study. The residence permit application procedure that once took ten weeks is now done and dusted within just two, and the majority of paperwork can now be dealt with by the host institution rather than the student.
State Secretary Albayrak also recalled a measure giving foreign students the option to stay in the Netherlands for a year after graduation in order to look for a job in their field, for which the associated job requirements have been relaxed.
The state secretary’s speech was punctuated by frequent applause.
Fresh blood
Dutch media reports mostly opened their stories by citing the concrete data presented by Ms Albayrak in her speech. For example, that there are currently 9,271 students from outside the EU studying in the Netherlands. The country’s largest news daily, De Telegraaf, quoted the state secretary’s assertion that, ‘The only way that we will be able to maintain Dutch education and knowledge at a consistently high level is to attract fresh blood and international input’.
The press and media all – without exception – reported Albayrak’s statement that the Netherlands welcomes higher education graduates who can make a contribution to Dutch society.
