Quantity and quality

In the news yesterday: the Dutch parliament wants to curb the influx of foreign (a.k.a. "international") students (Kamer wil stop werving internationale studenten, 'geen advertenties meer' (nos.nl) It is presented as a capacity problem, especially in housing, but anyone with an even passing familiarity with Dutch universities should have expected such problems from the very moment that apparently everyone became enthusiastic about internationalization in higher education. But the problem is not internationalization, it is too much attention to quantity: more students, more income, more return on investment, higher ratings ... And as we can see, quantity does influence quality: no one can claim that Dutch universities have become better under such pressure. Some may have become richer and quite a few careers have prospered but the core business of research and teaching suffers as quantitative indicators dominate.  

What makes the situation even worse is that looking at the situation beyond the narrow frames that have been imposed on it so far makes abundantly obvious that simple decisions and easy goals inevitably have far-reaching consequences. Any decision taker or policy maker worth their salt should take them into account and plan with foresight. Hindsight is eye-opening but generally not effective. I wonder how long it will take to correct the unnecessary problems in Dutch higher education. I also wonder when the Dutch parliament will realize that the current building boom, which it fervently supports and stimulates, has negative effects on living and environmental quality. In the meantime, I suggest that we replace the rampant lions that adorn so many Dutch emblems with a bolting horse and a stable door firmly shut behind it.