On Tuesday, 11 February 2025, Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport (ECYS) Melissa D. Gumbs met with 3rd Vice President of the Collectivite, Ms. Dominique Louisy, to discuss opportunities for collaboration and cooperation between the Ministry and the Collectivite on matters related to
education, youth and sports.
Joining the Minister were Chief of Staff, Ms. Suzette Moses-Burton and Cabinet
Policy Advisor, Mr. Marvio Cooks. Ms. Louisy was joined by Project Officer for
Caribbean Regional Cooperation & International Relations, Mr. Michel Zapata, and
Director of CTOS, Mr. Kenroy Bryan.
“For four years in Parliament, I spoke passionately about expanding cooperation and
collaboration between the Collectivite and St. Maarten,” Minister Gumbs said in a
media statement. “It’s an honour now, as Minister ECYS, to have the opportunity to
move the needle forward with a tangible, structured approach. Like many on this
beautiful island, my bloodline crosses the frontier at several points so there is no
question about this minister’s commitment to realizing true cooperation with our
northern neighbours.”
During the meeting, the discussion focused on measurable steps that could be taken
to improve cooperation across several topics within education, youth and sports,
including programs such as study and work exchange and co-hosting sport
initiatives. Mr. Bryan, in his capacity as Director of CTOS, shared information on the
central kitchen and school canteens, with the intention to identify collaborative
possibilities and best practices.
“We identified three critical action steps that ECYS must work on to move this
cooperation forward,” Gumbs concludes. “This will include consultation with relevant
internal and external stakeholders, and I hope to have an update on at least one key
objective by the end of March 2025.”
