GREAT BAY--Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport (ECYS) Melissa Gumbs will represent Sint Maarten later this month at the annual Kingdom Education Consultation, which brings together Ministers of Education from the Caribbean countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Netherlands itself.
Minister Gumbs will depart St. Maarten later this month, with a brief working stop in Aruba before heading to Bonaire, where the official meetings will take place. The gathering serves as a high-level forum for the four Ministers of Education—representing Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and the Netherlands—to discuss policy coordination, progress on shared education initiatives, and opportunities for collaboration within the Kingdom.
“This meeting happens every year, similar to how the Ministers of Justice meet to review developments in their sector,” Gumbs explained. “In the past, this consultation has produced concrete results, such as the Strategic Education Alliance, which helped create initiatives like the CAFY program at the University of St. Martin. That program was designed to prepare students for university-level studies and improve transitions for those continuing their education abroad, especially in the Netherlands.”
The Minister noted that these meetings have proven valuable for strengthening Sint Maarten’s education sector, particularly through the Division of Education Innovation, which plays a key role in developing programs that address long-standing challenges for students studying locally and overseas.
“At first, I thought the 2025 edition of this meeting was not happening,” Gumbs said, “but when I returned from my recent travel to the United Nations and Washington, D.C., the Secretary-General confirmed that it was indeed scheduled. I’m looking forward to representing Sint Maarten, meeting my counterparts, and continuing the dialogue on ways to strengthen education across the Kingdom.”
Before heading to Bonaire, Gumbs will make a stop in Aruba to hold discussions with the University of Aruba and other local education stakeholders. “I plan to sit with the University of Aruba and other entities there,” she said. “When I return, I’ll be happy to provide an update on those discussions.”
This will be Minister Gumbs’ first time attending the annual Onderwijs Overleg (Education Consultation) since taking office. She added that she is particularly looking forward to reconnecting with her Aruban counterpart, Minister of Education Kelly-Ann Cruz, with whom she previously worked during her tenure in Parliament and through the Inter-Parliamentary Kingdom Consultation (IPKO).
“I’m excited to engage in these discussions for the first time as Minister and to see where we can build on past successes,” Gumbs said. “Education is one of the strongest bridges between our countries, and this forum allows us to align our priorities for the benefit of all students in the Kingdom.”
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