It has been several months since the first students began demonstrating against the severe budget cuts to higher education in the Netherlands. From Amsterdam to Groningen, academic communities have raised their voices against the growing pressure on universities, worsening working conditions for staff, and the increasingly market-driven logic that dominates higher education policy. On April 24, TU Delft is set to join the national wave of resistance with a strike to demand proper investment in education. The strike in Delft marks the final action in a nationwide protest series, underlining that the academic world is united - and fed up.
The demands of the protesting students and staff are clear: reverse the planned budget cuts, provide structural investment in universities, reduce workloads, and protect the quality of education and research. The planned cuts - adding up to hundreds of millions - have sparked outrage across the sector. They threaten to increase student-teacher ratios even further and force departments to shut down research programs. "This isn't about luxury," said one student in the Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management. "It's about the foundation. Without it, everything else collapses."
What makes these protests particularly urgent is the broader social and political context in which they are taking place. For decades, the Netherlands has identified as a "knowledge economy" - a society in which innovation, scientific progress, and research are seen as key drivers of economic development. Universities are central to that vision. And yet, many within the academic world now feel that this very foundation is being undermined by budget-reduction policy decisions. This concern is amplified by global challenges that demand robust scientific infrastructure: climate change, rapid advances in artificial intelligence, and increasing questions about the role of science and truth in public debate. In such a context, stable and well-supported academic institutions are not a luxury - they are a necessity. "We are expected to deliver world-class research on global crises, but without the time, resources or support to do so," remarked a Delft researcher. "It's a contradiction."
The challenges facing Dutch universities are not unique - they are part of a wider shift in how education is governed and valued. Across many countries, policy decisions have increasingly framed education as a market product rather than a collective investment. Universities are expected to operate competitively, chasing funding and rankings. Academic staff face pressure to publish frequently, often at the cost of sustainable teaching and research. Students are increasingly evaluated based on quantifiable measures of success, test scores, publications or research funding, with these standards often prioritizing short-term achievements over long-term personal growth. The current wave of strikes pushes back against this logic - rejecting the idea that learning, knowledge, and academic work should be governed by budget cuts and market principles. Students and staff argue that education should not be treated as a cost, but as an investment - not only in individuals but in society at large. If the Netherlands wishes to remain a place where knowledge, innovation and research thrive, it needs to address the long-term consequences of short-term cuts to infrastructure.
Student and staff activism has a long and impactful history. From the anti-colonial protests of the 20th century to the more recent movements for climate justice and social equity, universities have often been nurturing grounds for resistance. In 1969, Dutch students famously occupied the Maagdenhuis in Amsterdam to demand democratization of the university. In 2015, that same building was again the center of protest, when students called for an end to budget cuts and managerialism. And now, in 2024, the spirit of resistance continues.
Bezetting van het Maagdenhuis door studenten tijdens het protest tegen het beleid van de Universiteit van Amsterdam in 2015. NOS, 2015 – https://nos.nl/artikel/2029169-bezetters-maagdenhuis-geven-geen-krimp-uva-naar-de-rechter
Throughout history, it has often been students who have raised the alarm when systems were facing significant challenges or changes. They demand not only a better future for themselves, but for society in general. The protest at TU Delft is not just about one university - it is about the future of knowledge itself. And if history has taught us anything, it’s that when students speak up, the world should listen.
