Concrete steps during work conference 'Study success Caribbean students'
Next week, the work conference 'Study success Caribbean students' will take place in Aruba. During this meeting, Aruba, Caribbean Netherlands, Curaçao, Sint Maarten and the Netherlands look forward to jointly develop supporting programs with concrete and structural measures, so that more Caribbean students can successfully complete their studies. To achieve this, more attention is needed for, among other things, study choice, cultural differences and language. The conference will also launch an online communication platform where best practices will be shared.
Every year, around 1.600 students from the Caribbean part of the Kingdom start their studies in the Netherlands. They run into many problems during their studies that they often fail to finish. In order to develop a concrete approach to these problems, all countries involved will meet in Aruba from 26 to 28 September. The past year and a half of focused (online) work has been done in preparation for this important conference.
Governments and education together
The conference will be held at the University of Aruba and will officially be opened by the Aruban Minister of Education and Sports Affairs, Endy Croes. He will do so together with Ron Bormans, chairman of the board of Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences and chairman of the Steering group "Study Success Caribbean Students. Secretary General of the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, Marjan Hammersma, will also be present. As will representatives of the governments of Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, St. Eustatius, Saba and the Netherlands as well as rectors of four universities and a broad representation of secondary education, MBO and HBO.
Participants of the conference will address topics such as proper preparation of Caribbean pupils and students who want to pursue higher education, diligent transfer and monitoring of students, educational opportunities on the islands and study mobility within the Kingdom.
Plan to improve study success
The problems of Caribbean students in higher education have been known for quite some time as well as the need to work together to find a solution. Therefore, at the request of the Ministerial Four-Country Consultation in 2021, the Steering group was started, with representatives from government and education of the four countries, which developed a plan to improve the study success of the Caribbean student.
A project group, consisting of representatives of all countries and relevant parties from education also started work on this plan in 2021. This group will share the current state of affairs, including concrete measures already taken, with the participants during work conferences.
Structural measures will be submitted to the Vierlandenoverleg
Building on what has already been set in motion, the Steering group will then formulate joint recommendations for the Ministerial Vierlandenoverleg on Education, Culture and Science, which will take place in December.