Maastricht Debates: Studying in the EU – A question of wealth?

Do tuition fees lead to the so-called ‘commodification’ of higher education? Is it fair that they should be higher for non-EU students? These questions were central to the debate held by Maastricht Debates on March 2, 2010, on the topic of studying in the EU and more specifically on the impact of tuition fees in access to university.

High expectations were raised by the solid reputation of the three guest speakers for the evening: Prof. dr. Luc Soete, Economist and Director of research institute UNU-MERIT, Prof. dr. Rein de Wilde, Professor of philosophy and Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Maastricht University and Prof. dr. Jaap Dronkers, Professor in international comparative research on educational performance and social inequality at the Research Centre for Education and the Labour Market (ROA) at Maastricht University.

The overall hope among the 50 member strong audience, consisting mainly of students at Maastricht University, was that the debate would bring forward concrete ideas, rather than vague theories, about the ways in which higher education can be made more accessible to those less fortunate.

After giving some background information on the topic, moderator Inge Römgens asked the three speakers to make some initial statements. It became clear right away that Mr. Dronkers and Mr. Soete had diverging, if not completely opposite views. Whereas Dronkers did not believe that money plays a significant role in creating an elitist society, Soete argued to the contrary by pointing out to the low social mobility in countries with high tuition fees.

Prof. dr. Luc Soete, Economist and Director of research institute UNU-MERIT

Prof. dr. Jaap Dronkers, Professor in international comparative research on educational performance and social inequality at the Research Centre for Education and the Labour Market (ROA) at Maastricht University

In the second part of the debate, when the speakers were invited to discuss the specific issue of the high tuition fees that are asked from non-EU students, this disagreement became apparent once again. Dronkers kept emphasizing Europe’s right to privilege its own citizens but Soete argued that from an economic perspective, this argument was “complete bullshit”.

Hopes were high with regards to Mr. de Wilde’s contribution to the debate, because as a Dean of Maastricht University, he is faced on a daily basis with the management of European higher education. At first, de Wilde stirred quite some discussion among the audience by defending the university’s relatively high tuition fee policy, particularly when he made a remark on “middle-class German students not paying taxes in the Netherlands, but nevertheless demanding higher quality education”.

Although he continued to defend the university’s policy, he also showed pragmatism and flexibility. Compared to theoreticians such as Dronkers and Soete, he seemed more actively listening to the comments from the audience. To me, the fact that he remained practical and did not resort to abstract approaches was his main asset.

Prof. dr. Rein de Wilde, Professor of philosophy and Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Maastricht University

The guests’ divergent ideas made the debate interesting to follow. Not only did they have issues to quarrel about amongst themselves, but by making provocative statements, they also lured the audience into participation.

The floor was opened to the public on two occasions, creating moments of direct interaction and enriching debate between the speakers and the audience.

When asked to propose concrete ideas to open up the current system, Soete and De Wilde came up with interesting proposals.

Indeed, an idea put forward by Soete and that was new to me, was to postpone the payment of tuition fees until after graduation. The guarantee of a steady income would make it easier for young graduates to reserve a percentage of their salary for the repayment of their tuition fees. This idea seemed to be well received by a large part of the audience.

There were some points for improvement in the set up of the evening. The microphones proved to be rather unreliable, because the sound changed from being too soft to being too loud. Also, although the more central venue at the beautiful Selexyz bookstore evidently attracts more visitors than the previous AINSI-location, several people commented that it does not offer the same intimacy.

Moderator Inge Römgens ensured that the debate remained accessible throughout the evening by adequately summarising the main points of each speaker’s arguments, even when they sometimes sounded abstract and theoretic.

Moderator Inge Römgens and a member of the audience

Although I would have liked to hear more concrete ideas from all guest speakers, the debate helped me look at the issues from a broader perspective. Mr. de Wilde’s input in particular made clear that universities are forced to take various aspects into consideration when adopting a tuition fee policy: not just the student’s financial situation, but also the country’s and the university’s overall economic capabilities.

The next edition of Maastricht Debates will be held on March 23, and will revolve around the topic of development aid.

By Romana Michelon

Romana, 21, is a Dutch-Italian student in her second year of the European Studies Bachelor at Maastricht University. Since October 2009, she is a member of the Concordantia student group involved in the organization of Maastricht Debates.

Photos by Sonja Schiffers

Further reading:
University of Amsterdam economist heads international research into inequality

Video report by EUX.tv