The schools in the Dutch Caribbean will receive extra money this year to equip their buildings. It is a total sum of over seven million U.S. dollars for all schools combined. This, the Minister of Education, Culture and Science, Marja van Bijsterveldt decided.
Last spring, van Bijsterveldt payed a working visit to Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba. The Minister visited a number of schools for primary, secondary and vocational education and spoke with school administrators about the quality of education on the islands.
During the visit, agreements were made on further cooperation between the islands. Central to the approach is to improve the literacy and numeracy levels of students and increasing the quality of teachers and school administrators.
"Every child deserves a good education. I know how hard the people at the schools in the Dutch Caribbean are working to improve education, day in and day out. Therefore it is important that a teacher knows how to inspire students. But it is also essential for schools to have access to good teaching materials, such as furniture, blackboards or books. So teachers can create an inspiring learning environment, which students are challenged to the best of their abilities", said van Bijsterveldt.
Each school will receive its own portion of the amount and can decide how to spend the money. This can be new furniture or teaching materials such as textbooks.