The Education Executive Agency (Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs, DUO) is to visit the Caribbean region from 9 to 27 March to open temporary service desks and organise information sessions about student finance. During the visit the focus will also be on the new tool the government has developed to help students prepare for their move to the Netherlands.
More than 1.500 young people from the Caribbean region move to the Netherlands every year in order to study. DUO joined forces with other (government) organisations in 2025 to develop a special online tool which would help make the transition as smooth as possible for the students in question. If they visit rijksoverheid.nl/caribischestudenten, they can obtain a personalised overview of information about their rights, what things they need to arrange and where they can get help. An English-language version is also available at government.nl/caribbeanstudents.
The tool has been well received. “It is clear that Caribbean students and their parents very much appreciate the tool and that students are consequently much better prepared when they leave for the Netherlands,” explains Monique Hoogerwerf, DUO coordinator for the Caribbean region. “All of this will help them get their studies off to a good start.”
Information sessions
DUO will be hosting information sessions on Sint Maarten, Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire throughout the month of March. During these sessions, prospective students and their parents will receive information about student finance, on obtaining a Citizen Service Number (Burgerservicenummer, BSN) and other practical matters that need to be arranged when studying in the Netherlands.
Temporary service desks
DUO is also going to open temporary service desks on Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Maarten, Bonaire and Aruba. A longer term service desk has been open on Curaçao since April 2025.
Students and former students alike can contact the service centres to get answers to any queries they might have. The service desks can provide them with additional information on repaying their study debt, for example in a local currency at a lower cost, or on reducing the monthly instalment. The service desks are also intended to help people who are struggling to make payments, or who have payment arrears, and the staff are trained to provide personal assistance and help people find suitable solutions.
More information about the information sessions and service desks can be found at duo.com/visitcariben.