PNN raises concerns and makes recommendations for PhD student experiment

Since Minister Bussemaker announced in January 2013 that a limited-scale experiment with PhD students would be conducted, much has remained unclear about the form, scope, and duration of this experiment. Therefore, the PhD Network Netherlands (PNN) has compiled a comprehensive overview of recent developments, the current state of affairs, and the PNN's position on the planned experiment.

In the past, the PNN has repeatedly advocated for maintaining the employee status of PhD candidates. The PNN has expressed its reservations about the introduction of PhD students in, for example, the Bursary Charter (2006) and the position paper "Bursaries and Deviating Forms of Appointment" (2010).

Some disadvantages mentioned by the PNN are: scientific output will decrease due to a declining willingness to pursue PhDs, there is a risk that supervision will deteriorate due to the increased number of PhD candidates, and grant holders who are not allowed to teach have poorer career prospects.

The Leiden-based Action Group for Doctoral Students launched a petition against the experiment on September 30, 2013. Because the Action Group for Doctoral Students represents a significant number of PhD students and because the PNN shares its concerns, the PNN supports their petition. At the time of writing, the petition has garnered over 2,000 signatures.

The state of affairs

The university Executive Boards received a request from the Association of Universities in the Netherlands (VSNU) asking whether they would be interested in participating in the experiment and, if so, how many PhD candidates per university. They were also asked to submit a plan for the experiment's design.

The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science is currently working on a General Administrative Order (AMvB) that will legally enable the experiment and specify how the experiment will be structured and how universities' participation will be regulated. The AMvB will be submitted to the Senate and House of Representatives. The experiment will begin as soon as the AMvB is in effect and it is clear how the experiment will be structured and which universities can participate.

The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science is discussing a small-scale experiment with PhD students. The experiment will last five or six years. Universities are free to provide input on how they want to shape the experiment. By launching several small sub-experiments, the Association of Universities in the Netherlands (VSNU) hopes to address the Council of State's concerns.

PNN position

The PNN sees significant drawbacks to allowing PhD students to be appointed, but is not categorically opposed to an experiment. It would be worthwhile to carefully investigate whether adding PhD student status actually offers benefits that outweigh the negative side effects. The PNN is concerned about the potential displacement of employed PhD candidates by PhD students and the lack of opportunities for PhD students to gain teaching experience.

In addition, the PNN offers recommendations on aspects of the experiment itself. An experiment can only be considered a true experiment if clear, predetermined goals and success criteria are formulated. Without clear goals and success criteria, a situation arises in which the experiment's success can be arbitrarily determined. The PNN recommends an interim evaluation after two years, as many practical problems will likely have already come to light by then.

In summary, the PNN advocates that:

• PhD candidates will be given the choice between an employee position and a PhD student status for each PhD position eligible for the experiment;
• the maximum number of PhD students in relation to employee PhD candidates is determined in advance not only at national but also at local level;
• PhD students, like employee PhD candidates, are given the opportunity to gain teaching experience;
• PhD students receive compensation that is in line with the salary of employed PhD students, so that they are not inferior to them in terms of remuneration;
• clear, pre-defined goals and success criteria are formulated for the experiment regarding matters such as the duration of the PhD, the PhD performance, the perceived quality of supervision, the position on the labour market after obtaining the PhD and the scientific output;
• an interim evaluation will be carried out two years after the start of the experiment.

Only if the experiment is conducted in this way will there be a fair and objective assessment of the desirability of a bursary system in the Netherlands.

The overview with the background and position of the PNN can be downloaded here .