To: Drs. Rodolphe E Samuel, Minister of education, culture, youth and sport. Mr. Minister, Good day Yesterday, someone sent me a voice message on WhatsApp asking me if I have a second hand laptop for his son to study online because he can't afford to buy one because he lost his job and his wife is not working at all . My colleague at work has her son by her neighbor while she is working, and the neighbor has no time to attend any online class because its not her job and my colleague cannot leave her work to go home and attend the class. On the class chatting group today a mother sent a message to the teach apologising to her because she couldn't make it to attend the class meeting with her son because she's working, now If both parents are working from morning to evening and the kids ended up with grandma or baby sitter or a neighbor to watch them during the parents absence, who you think from the above mentioned persons can go online class or watch the kids homework. Your Excellency, you should look at the issue from all angles, not from one angle. Nightclubs, which are not free from direct contact between men and women open their doors every day from morning until midnight, casinos are open and all life systems work except for schools, which are more important than the aforementioned. Your Excellency, If every school took the necessary precautions and abided by the safety laws, our children would be safe and secure. I am talking to you Mr. Minister as a father of three children and I work from eight in the morning until seven in the evening, and my wife can't handle it by her own, and there are many of us on this island. We ask you to reopen schools so that our children receive the correct education. It is impossible for parents to replace teachers. And accept my sincere respect. A concerned parent.
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July 29, 2026
How do you move an entire hospital? SMMC has a seven-movement strategy | The Peoples TribuneCAY HILL--St. Maarten Medical Center, SMMC, is developing a coordinated relocation strategy based on the “Seven Movements of Healthcare” to guide the transfer of hospital services into the new St. Maarten General Hospital, SMGH. The seven movements cover the areas that mu...
Read more : How do you move an entire hospital? SMMC has a seven-movement strategy | The Peoples Tribune
July 29, 2026
Ombudsman flags persistent failures at VROMI and Justice | The Peoples Tribune
GREAT BAY--The Ministries of VROMI and Justice accounted for 33 of the 48 formal complaints investigated by the Ombudsman in 2025, representing nearly seven in every ten formal cases opened during the year. VROMI recorded 21 formal investigations, more than double the nine reg...
July 28, 2026
Preliminary findings expose gaps in protection for domestic violence victims | The Peoples Tribune
GREAT BAY--Preliminary findings from an investigation by the Ombudsman have identified three systemic concerns in St. Maarten’s response to domestic violence: deficiencies and loopholes within the legal and policy framework, indications that cultural biases may affect governme...
July 28, 2026
By 2050, St. Maarten could see 136 hot days, less rain and 22cm of sea-level rise | The Peoples TribuneGREAT BAY--A new climate report projects that St. Maarten could experience as many as 249 hot days each year (exceeding 29.5 degrees Celsius) by the end of this century under a high-emissions scenario, while annual rainfall could decline by nearly half and sea levels rise by u...
July 28, 2026
Claret Connor to be sworn In as next VSA Minister | The Peoples TribuneGREAT BAY--National Recovery Program Bureau Director Claret Connor is expected to be sworn in as the country’s next Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor, VSA, potentially as early as next week. Information obtained by The People’s Tribune indicates that Conn...
July 28, 2026
Tax Expert says resident room tax exemption has hidden 5% cost | The Daily HeraldMarco Aalbers. PHILIPSBURG--Tax expert Marco Aalbers says the recent clarification that St. Maarten residents are exempt from room tax when staying at local hotels, apartments and guest-houses does not eliminate the tax burden, but instead shifts it to turnover tax. In a lette...