THE HAGUE–Education authorities in Aruba, Curaçao, St. Maarten and the Netherlands have expressed interest in intensifying cooperation within the Kingdom which would benefit education on all six Dutch Caribbean islands.
Dutch Minister of Education, Culture and Science Ingrid van Engelshoven and Minister of Primary and Secondary Education and of Media Arie Slob confirmed this in a letter that they sent to the Dutch Parliament on Wednesday in which they provided an update on the progress that has been made in education in Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba.
The ministers, who will be visiting all six islands later this year to speak with the stakeholders, announced that consultations would soon take place with Aruba, Curaçao and St. Maarten to see how to give concrete content to the cooperation.
According to Van Engelshoven and Slob, the other countries in the Kingdom have taken notice of the progress that has been made in education in the Caribbean Netherlands. “Interest has been shown to cooperate with the Netherlands on the policy areas of education, culture and science. We applaud this,” stated the ministers.
“The themes on the islands are recognisable and the small-scale disadvantages of the islands make a cooperation beneficial for all participants. Whether that content is given to the cooperation on a broad Kingdom level, or in the Dutch Caribbean, in the Leeward or Windward Islands, bilateral or multilateral.”
The ministers envision synergy advantages from expanding the scale within the Kingdom in the areas of the joint developing and purchasing of educational material and increasing the scope of middle vocational education and higher education in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom. This is especially interesting in the area of teachers’ education.
“All Caribbean parts of the Kingdom benefit from exchanging know-how and experience, and everyone wishes to improve the transfer to tertiary education. Focus is on studying on the islands or in the region, without hampering studying in the Netherlands,” stated the ministers who noted that there were large differences between the islands where it concerned education, and that as islands they were encountering practical obstacles.
The ministers were very positive about the progress that has been made in education in Bonaire, Statia and Saba. The Inspection of Education concluded that the process to improve the quality in education is continuing steadily, be it with some challenges.
A number of schools and educational organisations have reached the basic quality this year, two in Bonaire and two in Statia. In Statia the middle vocational education MBO section of the Gwendoline van Putten School and the Social Opportunity Trajectories for youngsters, offered by the New Challenges Foundation, achieved the basic quality.
This means that with the exception of the secondary education (practical education, VMBO and HAVO) of the Gwendoline van Putten School all schools and educational organisations have reached the basic quality level.
The Inspection noted that the Gwendoline van Putten School has been working on introducing the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) system, which has slowed down the process to achieve the basic quality level. The Inspection found that the quality of education has improved a lot and has all confidence that the school will be able to make the last step towards the basic quality mark.
The ministers acknowledged the hard work that has been done by the school boards, directors, unit leaders, teachers and other personnel to achieve the basic quality results. “For a number of schools, this has been a long road, but that makes this achievement extra special. The schools that already have the basic quality have managed to maintain and further improve this level. There is clearly an upward trend,” stated Van Engelshoven and Slob.
The issues that the educational institutions are dealing with are more complex. “The solutions currently depend a lot on the good cooperation with other parties and the integral inter-departmental approach that offers support. This approach is taking form step by step and that brings hope for the further improvement of education in the Caribbean Netherlands,” stated the ministers.
The educational organisations on the islands have been working with the Education Agenda 2017-2020 for 1.5 years and there is still much to do. Looking forward to 2020, the ministers stated that the schools and school boards had to continue to develop in such a way that they can give content to more autonomy. “The dot on the horizon is that the educational institutions in the Caribbean Netherlands can arrange their own affairs and that the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science OCW provides support where necessary.”
The ministers also found it important that all children have equal opportunities. Children in the Caribbean Netherlands should have the opportunity, just as their peers in the Netherlands, to develop according to their full potential. This means that given the context of the islands, tailor-made measures will remain necessary.
Van Engelshoven and Slob praised the school boards and management for increasing the quality of management and the assuming of tasks. Teachers also received a big compliment for their hard work. Progress was also made in the development of the language policy at schools. “There is a visible commitment.” However, in practice not all intentions and plans have yielded the desired results.
Education in the Dutch language as a foreign language remains a challenge. The schools are receiving additional support, which has yielded positive results in Saba. In Statia, many teachers have left primary education which has slowed down the development of teaching Dutch as a foreign language at school. New teachers will receive additional coaching and training in the coming period.
Authorities are looking at the required command level of the Dutch language for the secondary education and middle vocational education in Statia and Saba, which are transferring to the Caribbean CXC exams system. This is especially important for students who want to continue their studies in the Netherlands.
The Gwendoline van Putten School and the Saba Comprehensive School (SCS) are busy implementing the CXC system, which requires quite an effort for which the Ministry of OCW has made funds available for three school years.
The Ministry of OCW is also assisting with finding solutions for the issues that students from the islands encounter when they go to the Netherlands to further their studies. Stakeholders are discussing how to improve the preparation of these students, the providing of information so they can make the right choice what to study and the coaching after arriving in the Netherlands.
Many school buildings in the Caribbean Netherlands have already been renovated and/or reconstructed. About half of the projects have been completed. The remaining projects, including the Gwendoline van Putten School, the SCS in Saba and the school for secondary education in Bonaire SGB will be realised in the coming years.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/79875-more-cooperation-desired-in-education-within-kingdom
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