Language laws repress many universities – Rector

Day News 23 May 2015

The rector of Maastricht University, the second youngest university in the Netherlands, claims that universities in Europe are being choked by the laws that compel them to use their native language as the medium of instruction instead of English, reports Day News.

Professor Luc Soete said that international conventions emphasise that it is the human right of undergraduates to be taught in their native language. This means that educational institutions can only offer courses taught in English if the same courses are offered in the country’s native language.

Speaking at the Young Universities Summit in Dublin, organised by Times Higher Education, he said he had negotiated with the government of the Netherlands to allow Maastricht University to offer courses taught only in English. The professor pointed out that there are many universities in Europe where the country’s legal framework prevents them from being innovative in preparing their students for internationalisation.
Full report on the Day News site

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