Photo Guy Ackermans The university has received 2.6 million euros from the National Education Programme (Dutch acronym NPO) to compensate for the impact of covid-19 on education. Almost half this sum will be allocated to chair groups, enabling them to facilitate the mentoring and supervision of students doing theses or internships.
Many students postponed their internship or thesis research as a result of the corona measures over the past two years. This results in a huge increase of extra thesis and internship reports requiring supervision. This year, WUR will use the corona funds to support some fifty chair groups in their supervision of students. A total of 270 extra thesis students and 135 extra internships required supervision in periods 1 and 2, says education policy officer Eva Verschoor. ‘We were able to honour all applications from the chair groups.’
Employment market
The greater part of the covid-millions for education will be applied to supervise thesis programmes and internships. The rest is used for a range of other purposes. For example, students have not been able to explore the employment market properly, so extra funds have been made available for (online) career meetings and career coaching by study associations and WUR’s Student Career Services van WUR.
Wellbeing
An additional 200.000 euros is earmarked to enhance study progression. Programmes will receive extra funds for mentoring groups. An additional 200 grand is available for extra activities organised by the Training & Support Network for student wellbeing. A fund is also available for student organisations to organise extra activities now that the campus and the student associations are reopened. ‘This Kick-Start Fund has received many applications already’, says Verschoor. ‘The plans are lagging due to the restrictions, however.’
And finally, WUR pays for extra picnic tables and sports activities on the campus from this fund. The Student Staff Council advised on how the covid millions were to be spent.
