UNA not the only acknowledged training

WILLEMSTAD — It is not correct that the University of the Netherlands Antilles (UNA) is the only acknowledged institute on the island for higher education. Contrary to the contents of an article in this newspaper last Friday on educational acknowledgment, the Antillean government has also acknowledged for example, Hogma and the University of the Dutch Caribbean (UDC). Leeflang had renewed the UDC acknowledgement from 1996 in September 2008 in a ministerial order.

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That acknowledgment of the UDC applies for 24 ‘H.B.O.’ (Higher Vocational Education)-studies, said Cyriel van der Vegt, director of the non-subsidized educational institute at Groot Davelaar. If the institute requires additional acknowledged studies, then it should submit a curriculum per study for approval.
Covenants with other educational institutes, besides the government’s acknowledgement, form an important point. "Such as Antillean HAVO (Higher General Secondary Education)-pupils could enter colleges in the Netherlands based on a covenant", Van der Vegt explains. For that matter, the final word is with the colleges themselves. "However, the ‘HBO’-institutes are becoming stricter with their selection. It will therefore become more difficult for Antilleans as many of them will drop out during the first year."

The University of the Dutch Caribbean (UDC) has a government acknowledgement based on Article 53 of the Land Regulation VO (Secondary Education), even though the Minister of Education announced before this newspaper last week that she did not have a legal basis for acknowledging other educational institutes than the UNA.

Regarding the diploma, the HBO-students are also entitled to an acknowledged diploma in the Netherlands by which there is a question of a recurrent bi-certification due to internationalization. The acknowledgement of the UDC also implies the student’s right for a scholarship fund. For that matter, the Dutch students also have the possibility to study with the UDC with a Dutch scholarship fund.

Van der Vegt: "Actually, our university offers a Dutch educational program in the Antilles. In order to guarantee the quality, we have agreed with our Dutch educational partner Saxion College that they examine us four to five times per year, spread over the various academies. For example, the Higher Judicial Training (HJO) will be examined in November by the academy Administration and Law of Saxion."

UDC
The University of the Dutch Caribbean (UDC) offers continuous studies with Saxion Colleges. Saxion Colleges train students for international acknowledged bachelor and master certificates. The Dutch Flemish Accreditation Organization (NVAO) accredits all of Saxion’s bachelor and master trainings. The accredited bachelor and master trainings are offered in Apeldoorn, Deventer and Enschede.
Furthermore, the UDC has cooperations with various ROC’s (Intermediate Vocational Education) in the Netherlands, Schoevers College, Fontys-colleges and universities in the United States and South-America. The educational programs and trainings are examined on quality and adjustable to the variable wishes of the local and international market.

Medical universities
Registry-organization Faimer has still not responded to the letter of Education-minister Omayra Leeflang regarding the Imed-listing for the St. Martinus University. The letter had been forwarded on October 6th, at least it was dated on that day (with the year ‘2008’, red). SMU was not very enthusiastic about the contents of the letter, but hopes that it is still sufficient for Faimer to normalize the registration.
All the SMU wants is to have the phrase ‘According to published reports, the university closed in August 2009’ removed. Nevertheless, it seems the minister could care less about the established medical universities on the island. For some considerable time now, the Caribbean Medical University has also vainly requested the minister’s assistance with the Imed-listing.
The threat with legal procedures has not led to concrete lawsuits until now.