The Student Support Services Division of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport is once again hosting its workshop entitled “Applying to Schools in The Netherlands” on September 17, 2026, at the University of St. Martin from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM.
This workshop is geared at exam class and pre-exam class secondary school students as well as recent graduates, who are interested in continuing their studies in the Netherlands.
The “Applying to Schools in the Netherlands” workshop will focus on the main the tertiary education systems in the Netherlands which include MBO, HBO and WO. During this workshop the focus will be on both academic and vocational tracts and schools with Dutch and English language instruction in the Netherlands. SSSD officials added that costs will also be discussed since many students and parents believe that studying in the Netherlands is less expensive than in the United States or Canada.
As far as applications are concerned, the officials indicated that for some students the application to schools is not straight-forward and it is important for them to know how their education from St. Maarten aligns with that in the Netherlands. They added that changes occur frequently in the educational field in the Netherlands and our students should be aware of such.
Parents are urged to encourage their children to participate in this workshop. Students are encouraged to register, in advance, for the workshop by calling Student Support Services Division at tel: 543-1235 or by going to SSSD’s Facebook page and scanning the QR code on the flyer. If parents or students have any questions on this workshop, they can also call the abovementioned number or email studentsupportservices@sintmaartengov.org for more information.
Interested persons can also visit the SSSD office which is in the Gatspy’s Building across from the Police Station and next to WIB.
The Student Support Services Division (SSSD) provides services to students referred by the schools such as psychological services, counseling services, social work services, educational diagnostic services, speech language pathology services. SSSD also provides general services such as career services, parent sessions and crisis response.
