The RT Hon David Willetts MP
Dear Mr Johnson
Thank you for your letter of 15 July, address to the R Hon Michael Gove MP, Secretary of State for Education about your company and your wife’s project, The Keller Foundation. I am replying as the matter falls within my portfolio.
I commend your wife’s remarkable achievements and efforts, both in the business world and in her charitable work.
The Coalition Government share Nicky Keller’s belief that everyone with the talent and motivation to succeed should have the opportunity to gain a university education. Lord Browne is currently chairing an Independent Review if Higher Education Funding and Student Finance which will report in the autumn. The Coalition Agreement makes it clear that the Review’s findings will be judged against a range of criteria including the impact on student debt, ensuring a properly funded university sector, improving the quality of teaching, increasing social mobility and attracting a higher proportion of students from the disadvantaged backgrounds.
Charitable Scholarships, such as those offered by the Keller Foundation, can help to encourage students from lower socio-economic backgrounds to enter higher education and, as such, provide a valuable contribution to widening participation.
I wish your wife every success in setting up the Keller Foundation.
Yours sincerely,
David Willetts MP
