The Literacy Alarm We Cannot Ignore

Every generation faces a defining moment that demands honesty, courage, and national will. The recently published results of the Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) and Early Grade Mathematics Assessment (EGMA) are exactly that moment for Sint Maarten. The findings are deeply troubling. Children in Group 3, our six-year-olds, are struggling to recognize basic letters, numbers, and simple words. Two years later, as eight- and nine-year-olds in Group 5, these challenges persist. These are not temporary setbacks but clear signs of systemic cracks, and once cracks appear at the foundation, the entire structure is at risk.

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport has presented the data, and diplomacy requires acknowledging the Ministry’s role in doing so. However, the message emerging from the assessments goes far beyond any single Ministry or political moment. The EGRA and EGMA results confront us with a truth we have avoided for far too long. Sint Maarten is grappling with a literacy and numeracy crisis that touches households, classrooms, leadership tables, and every part of daily life. This is not an indictment of teachers or a reflection on individual leaders. It is the cumulative result of decades of inconsistent reforms, limited measurement, and fragmented approaches to education.

Literacy is not simply a school-based concern. It is the backbone of a functioning society. When a nine-year-old struggles to understand a word problem, it is not merely an academic issue. It signals future challenges for that child as an adult trying to interpret a pay slip, fill out a form, read safety instructions, or follow written procedures on the job. In the private sector, employers increasingly encounter job applications that are incomplete because basic writing skills are missing, addresses are misspelled, and instructions are misunderstood during routine tasks. These are not isolated incidents. They are widespread indicators of a long-standing national problem that is now revealing itself across multiple industries. A modern workforce, society, and economy cannot function, much less thrive, without a literate and numerate population.

One of the most revealing elements from the Ministry’s presentation is the confirmation that since the shift to Foundation Based Education in 2004, there had not been a comprehensive assessment of early literacy and numeracy until 2023. That is a 21-year gap during which the country operated largely on assumptions, hoping or believing that students were achieving at acceptable levels without the benefit of real measurement. The EGRA and EGMA assessments provide the first true baseline, and while the results are painful, they are also necessary. A country that does not measure cannot manage, and a country that does not evaluate cannot improve.

The Ministry has indicated its intention to design a trajectory toward 2026. While this is formally acknowledged, it is essential to recognize that reversing this crisis cannot fall on a Ministry alone. Literacy is not a departmental task. It is the heart of nation-building. The country must avoid assuming that a policy announcement equals a solution. Effective progress will require evidence-based strategies, consistent measurement, and shared responsibility that endures beyond election cycles.

The children sitting in Group 3 today are tomorrow’s workforce, tomorrow’s innovators, tomorrow’s caregivers, and tomorrow’s decision-makers. If we fail them now, we undermine Sint Maarten’s economic future, its social resilience, and its national development. The window for intervention is narrowing, and our response must be swift, coordinated, and unwavering.

The EGRA and EGMA results are not just statistics. They are a mirror reflecting years of educational gaps that have gone unaddressed. Our children are not failing. They have been failed. The choice before us is simple yet profound. Continue the cycle or break it. Sint Maarten’s future depends on the answer.

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