Minister Gouke Moes visits Bonaire
Minister Gouke Moes (Education, Culture and Science) will visit Bonaire from the 4th to the 6th of November 2025. The visit will focus on the Ministerial Four-Country Consultation of Education, Culture and Science (M4LO) and will also provide an opportunity to become acquainted with the Caribbean part of the Kingdom.
On the evening of Tuesday, the 4th of November, Minister Moes will be received by the Island Governor of Bonaire, John Soliano, and Acting Kingdom Representative Jan Helmond. The following day will focus on an introduction to the Executive Council of the Public Entity Bonaire and visits to the primary school Kolegio Kristu Bon Wardador and Scholengemeenschap Bonaire, where the minister will speak with teachers, school leaders, and students. He will also be given a tour of the cultural park Mangazina di Rei.
On the third day of the visit, the Ministerial Four-Country Consultation on Education, Culture and Science (M4LO) will take place. Each year, the ministers of Education, Culture, and Science from Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and the Netherlands meet during the M4LO. During this consultation, the Netherlands also represents Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba.
Participants in the Four-Country Consultation include Minister Gerlien Croes (Kingdom Relations, Education, Youth, Innovation, and Sport) of Aruba, Minister Sithree van Heydoorn (Education, Science, Culture and Sport) of Curaçao, and Minister Melissa Gumbs (Education, Culture, Youth, and Sport) of Sint Maarten.
Topics of the M4LO include, among others, the Strategic Education Alliance (SEA) program. This is an important Kingdom-wide initiative by the education ministries of Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and the Netherlands aimed at improving the academic success of Caribbean students.