Over the last few weeks, the ISO took it upon itself to see if there was any truth to the assertion. Chairwoman Evelien van Roemburg: `We asked the IB-Group several times for information in English, with little result. Employees that we reached by telephone spoke English poorly, if at all. This is not acceptable: higher education is becoming more and more international. If you confront an IB-Group employee, you get the excuse that it's a Dutch organization after all.'
The organization in Groningen plays a key role in Dutch higher education: it regulates student admission and funding. In addition, international diplomas equivalency is assessed by the IB-Group. `We have brought these problems to the attention of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, but people there contend that they have received no complaints.' Van Roemburg scoffs, `Logical, since complaint forms at the IB-Group are available only in Dutch!'
Trans. Kristin Zimmerman