Curaçao & Sint Maarten - UNDP Trinidad and Tobago

measures must be urgently identified to address these issues, another core concern for further analysis relates to
the language of academic instruction in primary and secondary schools. The three official languages since 2007
are Dutch, Papiamento (the indigenous language of the former Leeward Islands of the former Netherlands Antilles)
and English. The fact that the Dutch language is used at all levels of education in these islands while the preferred
lingua franca in Curaçao is Papiamento and English in Sint Maarten creates gaps in educational attainment and
literacy levels. The question of the appropriate language of tuition requires further dialogue. A restructuring of the
educational system into institutions that generate highly skilled people can contribute to changing the current
dynamics into a more positive economic and social outlook in Curaçao and Sint Maarten.
Target: To ensure that all boys and girls complete a full course of primary and
secondary education and that by 2015 pre-school age children have universal
access to early childhood education
The law on compulsory education was introduced in 1991 for the children in the age category of 6 -16 in Curaçao
and Sint Maarten with a further revision in 2008 to expand to the age groups of 4 -18 year olds. This implies that not
only all children have the right to go to school (see the Convention on the Rights of the Child, 198950) but that the
law says that they have to go to school as well.
At the age of 4, all children living in Curaçao and Sint Maarten are offered Foundation Based Education. This includes
3 cycles. The idea of Foundation Based Education is to provide an incentive for those students who do not repeat
classes or at least should reduce repeating. After completing Foundation Based Education students go to secondary
education.
Curaçao
The participation rate of the children going to regular primary (of FBE-) schools is near 100%. A regulated or public
school is a school that is operating in accordance with the law and is subsidized by the government. The Inspectorate
of Education closely monitors school compliance in line with the law.
Sint Maarten
On Sint Maarten the situation is more complex. There are many undocumented children on the island comprising
10-15% of the school going population. Up until 2008/9 none or hardly any undocumented children were allowed
to go to regular schools51 . Over the years this has resulted in the establishment of undocumented private schools
on the island, offering primary education to the undocumented children. In 2008/9 the 4-7 year-old cohort of
undocumented children were allowed to go to the public schools on Sint Maarten. Every school year the age of
accepting undocumented children goes up with 2 years. The plan is that on Sint Maarten by the year 2013, all
undocumented children will have a place in public schools.
The ratio of persons (15+ years) who did not complete a secondary education in 2001 corresponds to the average
of the Netherlands Antilles: approx. 43%. As compared to ten years ago some progress has been made (1992: 55%).
Drop-outs in the age 15-24 did even better during the last ten years. Drop-out ratio used to be the highest in the
Netherlands Antilles with 53% in 1992, but in 2001 the ratio dropped below the average of the former Netherlands
Antilles (43.5%).
50 The Convention of the Rights of the Child, the Netherlands, signed on February 06, 1995. Curaçao and Sint Maarten ratified the Treaty in 1998.
51 A regular school is a school which operates according to the law and is supervised by the Inspectorate of Education. Most of the regular
schools are subsidized by the island government. All children/students have the right to go to a public subsidized school.
64 First National Report | Curaçao and Sint Maarten Millennium Development Goals | 2011 Report