The march stopped between Helix and Axis, among others. Photo Resource About fifty WUR employees gathered in the Atlas atrium for the walk-out. They walked a loop around the campus and stopped several times to listen to personal stories about the effects of budget cuts and a call: make education cuts an electoral issue.
‘First The Hague, then Amsterdam, by train or bus, and now just local initiatives. At protests, we put up with a bit of chaos, but not with our education and that is why we are here’, PhD student Roos Scheermeijer of the action committee began the walk-out, gathering inside because of the rain.
Rector Carolien Kroeze gives a short speech. ‘Cutting back on education is a bad idea of Dutch politics. For WUR, it means that we have to cut eighty million from our budget – that has consequences for our research and the young people we train in the disciplines the world desperately needs now.’ She thinks it’s important to speak up: hands off education. ‘This is the time to invest on education, rather than cut back.’
March across campus
The action committee leads the march with a megaphone. At various points on campus, the march comes to a halt to listen to personal experiences. ‘Science thrives on room to experiment, curiosity and creativity’, Scheermeijer reflects on her work as a researcher. ‘The uncertainty of budget cuts puts a hold on all that.’
Irene Koomen, working at Wageningen Center for Development Innovation (WCDI) says that at her department, 25 of the 65 FTE will have to go. Next Monday, they will hear more. ‘For me it doesn’t matter anymore, because I’m retiring soon. I’m here for the younger people.’
FNV union executive Bert de Haas thanks the attendees for their support. ‘We have to keep going. The fall of the cabinet offers opportunities.’ He calls for continued action. ‘We must make education cuts an electoral issue.’
Translated using DeepL.
