Minister Letschert: “Education is getting a bit more flesh on its bones again”
The new Minister of Education, Rianne Letschert, has an additional 1.5 billion euros to spend, which she aims to use to restore “stability and calm”. “Of course, you never know how long I’ll remain in office.”
Rianne Letschert has now been Minister of Education for five weeks on behalf of D66 in a minority cabinet with the CDA and VVD, which she also helped to form. She was the informateur who guided the negotiations.
Education will receive an additional 1.5 billion euros. “That is good news,” she says in Utrecht, where she is presenting the Teacher of the Year award. “With this, we can reverse a large part of the budget cuts and also make new investments.”
She describes herself as a minister with funds at her disposal, although she still has to negotiate how the money will be spent. The coalition does not have a majority, so whatever her plans may be, support from the House of Representatives (and subsequently the Senate) is not guaranteed.
A minister with funds. Is that a relief?
Letschert: “Absolutely! If you look at what the budget cuts have done within education and research… I notice a lot of enthusiasm in vocational education (mbo), universities of applied sciences (hbo), and research universities (wo) to work together on how to spend that money effectively.”
She says she wants to bring stability and calm. “In recent administrations, there have been many changes, and that has continuously introduced new policies and strategies. And of course, you never know how long I’ll remain in office, but I hope for four years. That’s what we’re aiming for.”
One of the major issues in higher education is student stress. What can politics do to reduce it?
“We are going to increase the basic grant for students living away from home, which should provide some relief. Financial stress does not help your mental well-being.”
That amounts to a few tens of euros per month, right?
“Yes, but for a student that is quite a substantial amount. It’s approaching fifty euros, so I’m not sure if you can call that ‘just a few tens.’”
And beyond that?
“It is also important that universities continue to invest in various programs related to student well-being. Those came under pressure due to the budget cuts, because funding tends to go first to education and research themselves. The additional resources from this cabinet give education just a bit more flesh on its bones again, allowing programs on social safety and mental well-being to continue.”
First-year students also experience stress due to the binding study advice (BSA). New research raises serious questions about its usefulness. Will you adjust the rules?
“Ultimately, it is up to educational institutions themselves to determine what they can do to promote student success, but I will of course read the research carefully with the question in mind: what exactly does the BSA achieve, and does this study call for a new discussion within the sector?”
But the research did not come out of nowhere, and your predecessors were keen to change it. Isn’t it already on your agenda?
“The issue is not included in the coalition agreement, so if I were to take action on it, that would require discussions with the coalition and, of course, with the House of Representatives. But I am particularly interested in how the sector itself views such research. Is the BSA the right way to guide students and support their development? That responsibility lies there. It is not solely up to politics.”
How did you approach that issue in Maastricht when you were an administrator there?
“That varied by program and by field of study, and sometimes also by the dean who had final responsibility. But I am no longer a university administrator now.”
The budget cuts at universities and universities of applied sciences are not only the result of measures taken by the previous cabinet, but also of a decline in student numbers. Fewer international students have also been coming to the Netherlands. The new cabinet wants to create more room again for English-language education.
Will you bring international students back to the Netherlands?
“‘Bringing them to the Netherlands’ sounds so instrumental, but this cabinet at least wants to explore a ‘targeted talent strategy.’ We aim to set out a positive agenda while also addressing the bottlenecks that universities and universities of applied sciences face in certain cities. Institutions would like to retain control themselves, and I will be discussing that with them.”
If you rely on the ‘self-direction’ of higher education, what then is the role of politics? What course are you setting as minister?
“I can’t share that yet. But I am happy to place trust in the institutions. For years, they have asked for certain measures from politics so they could better manage internationalisation. For example, they wanted the ability to introduce a numerus fixus within English-taught tracks. That option is now enshrined in law, so they can start using that steering mechanism.”
Trust alone cannot solve everything, can it? Take the workload of lecturers and researchers. If administrators could solve that, they would have done so already, right?
“When it comes to workload, you should not overlook the effects of the budget cuts. And the severe crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic has also truly had an impact on these institutions. I think they have handled it very well. Now we are entering a period—hopefully four years—of a stable government that wants to invest additional funds into the sector to create a degree of calm and stability. That is also intended to help address workload issues.”
D66 actually wanted much more funding, didn’t it?
“Always!”
Is that 1.5 billion enough to tackle the problems?
“You have to be realistic. If you look at the challenges this country faces and what is being asked, for example, of healthcare and social security, then I am simply very pleased that within this coalition we have secured 1.5 billion euros for education. That is a very positive signal. And yes, you can say it is not enough. But look at society as a whole, at the reforms in healthcare and social security. Then I think education can be quite satisfied.”
