ST. EUSTATIUS--While schools are preparing for new curriculum standards in digital literacy and citizenship, St. Eustatius has already built a strong foundation, with all four primary schools on the island having introduced pupils to digital literacy and technology through Mediawegwijs since 2023.
Mediawegwijs is returning to St. Eustatius this week to build on that work, with a renewed focus on emerging technologies and artificial intelligence, additional teacher training and helping children develop a healthy relationship with an increasingly digital world.
Three years ago, pupils at Bethel Methodist School, Seventh Day Adventist School, Governor de Graaff School and Golden Rock School participated in Mediawegwijs lessons that introduced them to robotics, virtual reality, 3D pens and other technologies. The program also addressed online behaviour, misinformation, cyberbullying and other issues children encounter in digital spaces.
At the time, the schools received an extensive collection of technology and teaching materials so the work could continue after the initial program. Teachers were also trained through Mediawegwijs’ train-the-trainer approach, giving schools the capacity to use the equipment and lessons independently.
The organization’s return this week is intended to ensure that the investment made in 2023 continues to deliver results. Existing equipment will be checked, apps and software will be updated and new lessons will be introduced to keep the material relevant to the changing digital environment.
From 3D Pens to Future Careers
Technology education will be an important part of the week. Mediawegwijs currently works with 53 different technologies and applications in its educational programs, ranging from robotics and coding to 5D design, virtual reality, sensors and artificial intelligence.
The objective is not to turn every child into a programmer. Instead, children are introduced to a range of technologies from an early age so they can discover their interests, identify their strengths and become familiar with careers that may eventually be connected to those skills.
For a small island such as St. Eustatius, those opportunities can be particularly significant. Digital technology is increasingly making employment less dependent on location, creating possibilities for people with coding, design and other digital skills to work for organizations located anywhere in the world while remaining on the island.
“Technology literally opens up a world of possibilities for children,” said Ilse Godtschalk, educational specialist, Director and founder of Mediawegwijs. “A child programming a robot or designing something with a 3D pen is developing skills through play that are relevant to many future careers. On an island with a limited number of companies and technical employers, it is even more important that children are introduced to those possibilities.”
The approach reflects a broader movement within the Kingdom to make technology education accessible to more young people. Initiatives such as Techkwadraat encourage schools, companies and other organizations to give children and young people between the ages of four and 18 opportunities to discover, experience and apply technology.
Training Teachers as Technology Changes
Mediawegwijs is also emphasizing that investment in equipment alone is not enough. Teacher turnover remains a challenge on St. Eustatius and other Caribbean islands, with new educators sometimes arriving without familiarity with the technology, materials and digital lessons already available within their schools.
A new teacher-training session will therefore be held during the visit. In addition to refreshing knowledge of the existing technology, artificial intelligence will receive increased attention. AI played a much smaller role in education and daily life when Mediawegwijs first worked extensively with the schools three years ago.
Teachers will also receive access to the latest lessons through the organization’s online school portal. Mediawegwijs can additionally assist schools with structurally incorporating digital literacy into their curriculum and developing broader ICT policies and educational strategies.
This work aligns with developments already taking place on St. Eustatius. The Third Education Agenda for the island includes agreements aimed at improving the quality and continuity of education, while further professionalization of digital literacy education has also been identified for Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba.
New curriculum standards covering subjects including digital literacy and citizenship are expected to take effect in the European Netherlands on August 1, 2027. Separate adaptations are expected for the islands to ensure the standards reflect their local context.
For St. Eustatius, however, much of the groundwork has already begun.
Digital Skills Must Also Be Healthy Skills
Mediawegwijs will also use the visit to look beyond technical ability. The organization is placing greater emphasis on what it describes as growing up digitally healthy, recognizing that children’s online lives increasingly affect their overall well-being.
Considerable attention is already given across the islands to healthy eating and physical activity. Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba, for example, have worked with the JOGG approach since 2013 to create environments that support healthier lifestyles among children.
Mediawegwijs believes the conversation should now also include screen time, sleep, concentration, social interaction, peer pressure on social media, gaming and the amount of time children spend scrolling or otherwise engaged online.
Research carried out in St. Maarten has also examined the relationship between children’s wider lifestyles and their digital habits, including questions for parents about nutrition, sleep, screen time, outdoor activity and sports.
“We talk to children about healthy eating and exercise, but their online lives now take up a significant part of their day as well,” Godtschalk said. “Growing up digitally healthy should be part of that same conversation. It is not about keeping technology away from children, but about teaching them to use it consciously.”
Mediawegwijs will meet with relevant organizations on St. Eustatius during the visit to explore possible cooperation in this area. Representatives of JOGG are scheduled to visit the activities, followed by further discussions on how digital literacy, technology education and healthy digital habits can reinforce one another.
Following the St. Eustatius program, Mediawegwijs educators Kay and Biko will travel to Saba, where meetings with JOGG are also scheduled to discuss how healthy digital habits can be incorporated into the broader focus on children’s physical and mental well-being.
Fifteen Years of Caribbean Experience
Mediawegwijs has spent 15 years helping schools integrate digital literacy into everyday education and has worked across Bonaire, Saba, St. Eustatius and St. Maarten. On Curaçao, media labs launched by the organization 15 years ago continue operating today with support from the train-the-trainer model.
Godtschalk said those years of experience have demonstrated that sustainable digital education requires more than a one-time investment.
“You can give a school a cupboard full of technology, but what really matters is what happens afterwards. Are new teachers equipped to use it? Are the lessons still up to date? Does the equipment still work, and does what you are teaching still reflect the world children are growing up in today?”
The return to St. Eustatius is therefore not about starting over, but strengthening what has already been established and ensuring that digital literacy, technology education and healthy online habits remain part of children’s education as technology continues to change.
“Statia was ahead of the curve in 2023,” Godtschalk concluded. “The next step is to make sure that investment continues to deliver results, not only today, but also for the children who will be attending school here five or ten years from now.”
