Marja van Bijsterveldt
Encyclopedia
Janneke Marlene "Marja" van Bijsterveldt-Vliegenthart (born June 27, 1961) is a politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal
. She is the Minister of Education, Culture and Science in the Cabinet Rutte
since October 14, 2010.
. Van Bijsterveldt attended nursing school
and worked in healthcare.
. She was an alderwoman (member) of the Almere
municipal council but left her post after the mayor of Almere's expenses were investigated. van Bijsterveldt disagreed with the way the other aldermen of the social-democratic PvdA and the liberal VVD had dealt with the matter, and following a motion of no-confidence in the VVD and the PvdA she resigned.
In 1994 she became mayor
of Schipluiden and at the age of 33 years, she was the youngest mayor in Dutch history. She also was active within the CDA. first as chair of the CDJA
, the CDA's youth organization and later as chair of the CDA-women's council. In November 2002 Van Bijsterveldt became party chair
of the CDA. She was the first chair directly elected by the CDA membership. She beat the other candidate with 26.542 against 9.574 votes. She was re-elected for a period of four years in 2006. On 22 February 2007 Ms Van Bijsterveldt-Vliegenthart was appointed State Secretary for Education, Culture and Science in the fourth Fourth Balkenende cabinet
. In August 2009 she spoke in the Dutch parliament about Laura Dekker
, a thirteen year old Dutch citizen whose plans to circumnavigate the world solo caused international controversy. Marja van Bijsterveldt spoke against Dekker and agreed with the decision to make her a ward of court.
Christian Democratic Appeal
The Christian Democratic Appeal is a centre-right Dutch Christian democratic political party. It suffered severe losses in the 2010 elections and fell from the first to the fourth place...
. She is the Minister of Education, Culture and Science in the Cabinet Rutte
Netherlands cabinet Rutte
The Rutte cabinet is the current Dutch coalition cabinet formed by the political parties People's Party for Freedom and Democracy and Christian Democratic Appeal . The coalition is a minority cabinet, but is supported by the Party for Freedom to have a small majority in the House of...
since October 14, 2010.
Early life
Janneke Marlene van Bijsterveldt-Vliegenthart was born on June 27, 1961 in RotterdamRotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
. Van Bijsterveldt attended nursing school
Nursing school
A nursing school is a type of educational institution, or part thereof, providing education and training to become a fully qualified nurse. The nature of nursing education and nursing qualifications varies considerably across the world.-United Kingdom:...
and worked in healthcare.
Politics
In 1990 she became politically active for the Christian Democratic AppealChristian Democratic Appeal
The Christian Democratic Appeal is a centre-right Dutch Christian democratic political party. It suffered severe losses in the 2010 elections and fell from the first to the fourth place...
. She was an alderwoman (member) of the Almere
Almere
Almere is a planned city and municipality in the province of Flevoland, the Netherlands, bordering Lelystad and Zeewolde. The municipality of Almere comprises the districts Almere Stad, Almere Haven, Almere Buiten, Almere Hout, Almere Poort and Almere Pampus .Almere is the youngest city in the...
municipal council but left her post after the mayor of Almere's expenses were investigated. van Bijsterveldt disagreed with the way the other aldermen of the social-democratic PvdA and the liberal VVD had dealt with the matter, and following a motion of no-confidence in the VVD and the PvdA she resigned.
In 1994 she became mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Schipluiden and at the age of 33 years, she was the youngest mayor in Dutch history. She also was active within the CDA. first as chair of the CDJA
CDJA
The Christian Democratic Youth Appeal , officially abbreviated as CDJA, is the youth organisation of the Dutch political party Christian Democratic Appeal.- External links :*...
, the CDA's youth organization and later as chair of the CDA-women's council. In November 2002 Van Bijsterveldt became party chair
Party Chair
In politics, a party chair is the presiding officer of a political party....
of the CDA. She was the first chair directly elected by the CDA membership. She beat the other candidate with 26.542 against 9.574 votes. She was re-elected for a period of four years in 2006. On 22 February 2007 Ms Van Bijsterveldt-Vliegenthart was appointed State Secretary for Education, Culture and Science in the fourth Fourth Balkenende cabinet
Fourth Balkenende cabinet
The fourth Balkenende cabinet or Balkenende IV is the previous Dutch coalition cabinet formed by the political parties Christian Democratic Appeal , Labour Party , and ChristianUnion . The cabinet succeeded the third Balkenende cabinet following the 2006 election, and was installed by Queen Beatrix...
. In August 2009 she spoke in the Dutch parliament about Laura Dekker
Laura Dekker
Laura Dekker is a Dutch solo sailor. In 2009, she announced her plan to become the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe single-handed. A Dutch court stepped in, due to the objections of the local authorities, and prevented Dekker from departing while under shared custody of both her parents...
, a thirteen year old Dutch citizen whose plans to circumnavigate the world solo caused international controversy. Marja van Bijsterveldt spoke against Dekker and agreed with the decision to make her a ward of court.