Rianne Letschert (D66) Minister of Education, Culture and Science in new cabinet
Prominent D66 member and former informateur of the new cabinet, Rianne Letschert, will become Minister of Education, Culture and Science. Letschert is currently chair of the Executive Board of Maastricht University.
Maastricht University (MU), which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, will have to look for a new chair of the Executive Board now that the current President of the Limburg university, Rianne Letschert (D66), is to become Minister of Education, Culture and Science in the new CDA-D66-VVD cabinet, according to reports from sources in The Hague via various media outlets. As minister, Letschert will be responsible for higher and scientific education as well as media policy. VVD member Judith Tielen is expected to take on the role of State Secretary for Education, Culture and Science.
Reward
Lawyer Rianne Letschert (Doetinchem, 1976) is not only a seasoned scientist and administrator – she was first rector magnificus and then chair of the board of MU for the past ten years – but has also emerged as a politician. One could say that this ministerial post is a reward for her successful efforts over the past two months, during which she worked with the three parties to rapidly put together a new cabinet, which is expected to be presented at the Huis ten Bosch palace at the end of this month.
Her appointment is a boon for higher education: a minister from its own scientific circle, comparable to the appointment a few years ago of her party colleague Robbert Dijkgraaf, who, incidentally, first had to become a member of D66 before his appointment. That is not the case with Letschert: she has been part of the inner circle of the party leadership for years. She now also knows the ropes in The Hague and therefore seems set to become a successful minister.
One and a half billion
As under Dijkgraaf, there is once again a lot of money to be distributed after the lean years under NSC Minister Eppo Bruins, who mainly rolled out an austerity agenda. Letschert is allowed to spend again – up to one and a half billion annually in 2031. Moreover, the austerity measures initiated by her predecessor are being scrapped. The Internationalisation in Balance Act – incidentally put on track by Dijkgraaf – also seems to be off the table, especially since the growth of the number of international students has been stopped for some time. As chair of the MU board, Letschert was a fervent opponent of the Act, partly because the international student population is more or less the lifeblood of the Limburg university. It is not for nothing that the institution is called Maastricht University.
