THE NETHERLANDS: Universities to get tougher

03 July 2011

Dutch universities are planning to introduce a range of measures, including compulsory attendance at lectures, in an effort to boost standards, the Volkskrant reported on Thursday.

The increasing international competition in higher education is forcing Dutch institutions to make changes, Sijbold Norda, head of the universities' association VSNU, said in a briefing to Junior Education Minister Halbe Zijlstra.

As well as making lectures and exams compulsory, universities want to reduce the number of retakes and increase student selection.
Full report on the DutchNews site

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