GREAT BAY--Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport Melissa Gumbs has returned from a working visit to Bonaire and Aruba focused on regional cooperation in education, youth development and heritage protection, and on strengthening practical links that can benefit students in St. Maarten.
Her trip centered on the Vierlanden Overleg (VLO) of the four Ministers of Education in the Kingdom, held in Bonaire, followed by working visits to youth and education institutions on the island. She concluded the mission with meetings in Aruba with her counterpart Minister Gerlien Croes and a substantive visit to the University of Aruba.
At the VLO, the four Education ministers of the Kingdom reviewed current programs, projects and joint commitments, and agreed on several concrete follow ups. Minister Gumbs formally took over the chair of the VLO from the Dutch Minister of Education, Culture and Science 𝘎𝘰𝘶𝘬𝘦 𝘔𝘰𝘦𝘴. She noted that the incoming and outgoing chairs share an interest in using gamification and modern tools to make learning more engaging, shaped by his experience as a former educator and parent and her own interest in new approaches to learning.
One key outcome of the meeting was agreement to extend the Strategic Education Alliance (SEA) project. SEA includes the CAFY foundation year program for students who plan to pursue tertiary education abroad, implemented by the University of St. Martin. Minister Gumbs underlined the importance of this type of structured preparation so that students leaving St. Maarten are better equipped to succeed in further study.
The ministers also discussed how Kingdom partners can work together to protect intangible cultural heritage and used the opportunity to bring tangible heritage into the conversation as well, raising the need for proper training and systems to safeguard both types of heritage in the event of natural disasters. She referred to recent flooding in Barbados and to earlier regional talks on heritage protection, and linked that experience to St. Maarten’s own exposure to hurricanes and other climate related risks.
Curaçao presented proprietary education software currently under development. The system will track the sustainability of schools, manage energy output data and signal maintenance needs, and also has the potential to handle student information and other education data. It will support a planned solarization of schools project on that island.
Gumbs said she is interested in pursuing a similar solar project for St. Maarten’s schools and is exploring possible funding options. She also sees scope for collaboration on the software side. While Curaçao is starting from infrastructure data and St. Maarten’s project, funded through the St. Maarten Trust Fund, is starting from student data, she believes the two approaches can be linked into a more complete platform.
She stressed that software development is costly, so countries should avoid building separate systems for every issue. Instead, she argued for modular, fit for purpose systems that can be expanded over time with new modules or connected through APIs, so that different types of data can work together without constant rebuilding.
After the formal VLO sessions, Gumbs and her team spent a day visiting institutions in Bonaire that work with young people and support technical, vocational and heritage education.
The first stop was Young Bonaire, a foundation that serves youth through homework support, sports including boxing, performing arts and other activities aimed at helping young people discover their interests and develop as well rounded individuals. Gumbs viewed the model as an example of how structured after school support and youth development can be combined.
She then visited MBO Bonaire, which offers a range of technical and vocational education and training programs. The minister praised the institution’s focus on mastery in specific vocational areas, contrasting it with more ad hoc, scattered approaches she sees at times in St. Maarten. She argued that with limited resources it is better for institutions to identify a clear niche and build depth in that area than to try to do everything at once.
MBO Bonaire recently opened a beauty school that begins with training in manicures and pedicures. The program does not only teach practical skills; it also incorporates entrepreneurship training so that students can set up their own small businesses or offer services alongside a regular job. Gumbs saw that combination of technical and business skills as particularly relevant for young people looking to create income opportunities.
Another visit took her to Skol Bonaire (Skol Amplio Papa Cornes), described to her as the island’s college department and housed in an historic building that also functions as a museum. The building contains pre and post colonial objects ranging from clothing and cookware to household items and even human remains. It is currently being assessed for restoration due to salt and sea exposure, similar to the challenges faced by heritage buildings elsewhere in the region.
During this visit she met Commissioner Clark Abraham, who holds responsibility for spatial planning, development, infrastructure and public works. She noted the full circle nature of the meeting, as both their fathers served in public service in earlier years.
Gumbs said she was especially interested in Skol Bonaire’s plan to expand its activities into various villages, taking heritage and educational programming into communities based on what each village is known for. She sees this as a model that blends community development and culture, and one she would like to adapt for St. Maarten in cooperation with local communities.
The final stop in Bonaire was an expertise center that supports students at risk of learning, social, emotional or behavioral difficulties. The center provides support in addition to the care already offered by schools, reinforcing the idea that responsibility for students is shared between schools, government, parents and specialized services.
Gumbs drew a direct link between what she saw there and plans for the reconstructed Charles Leopold Bell School in St. Maarten, where a similar model of integrated education and care support has been discussed. Seeing the concept in practice in Bonaire strengthened her conviction that St. Maarten should keep students at the center of its education policy and design support systems around their needs. She intends to maintain contact with the Bonaire center as St. Maarten shapes its own approach, including future entities such as the ECC.
After concluding the Bonaire leg, the minister travelled to Aruba. There she held a courtesy meeting with her counterpart, Minister Gerlien Croes, who holds the portfolio of Kingdom Relations, Education, Innovation and Sport. The two reflected on their time together in Parliament and spoke about common challenges in Aruba and St. Maarten, including school and facility maintenance, teacher training and material provision, and how decisions taken or not taken over many years have shaped current conditions.
They also discussed how, together with other Kingdom counterparts, they can move forward on these shared issues rather than address them in isolation.
Gumbs also met with the University of Aruba to discuss its cooperation with institutions and programs in the Netherlands and its own institutional development. She reiterated her intention to deepen collaboration with Kingdom partners in the Caribbean and in the European Netherlands, as well as with institutions in the wider region.
A priority for her is to strengthen options at the University of St. Martin and within the region so that St. Maarten students have realistic tertiary options close to home, especially as geopolitical developments in the United States continue to affect the choices and costs facing students who look north for study opportunities.
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