Conference on Dutch as a Foreign Language a great success
On September 29 and 30, the Dutch as a Foreign Language (NVT) Conference took place, organized by the NVT Network in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science for the Caribbean Netherlands (OCW CG). The Curaçao Minister of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports (OWCS), Van Heydoorn, officially opened the conference, where teachers, policymakers, researchers, and education professionals came together to share knowledge and insights about NVT within the multilingual Caribbean context.
Several speakers from Curaçao, Aruba, Canada, and the Netherlands shared their expertise with the audience, and the presentations were described as highly informative, current, and relevant.
What is NVT?
NVT refers to learning Dutch in an environment where it is not the language of everyday communication, such as in the Caribbean. The goal is for students to be able to use the language functionally and purposefully in their studies, work, and daily life, while maintaining their multilingual identity.
Through increased awareness and a deeper understanding of NVT, educators gain more insight into effective didactic approaches and how to implement them in practice. In this way, NVT contributes to future-oriented and context-appropriate language education in the Caribbean, reflecting the realities of both students and teachers.
Purpose of the Conference
The main focus of the conference was this awareness and deepening of understanding: the goal was to develop a shared vision of NVT in the Caribbean context and to translate that vision into educational practice and policy.
Theory and practice came together through concrete examples from the region. Participants were mainly from Curaçao, but there was also strong representation from Suriname, Bonaire, Aruba, Sint Maarten and Saba. The NVT Network and OCW CG look back on a very successful event.
Maritsa Silberie, Head of Department at OCW CG, summarized the essence of the conference as follows: “Learning is a journey without borders; Dutch as a foreign language is the key that opens new opportunities.”