Strategic planning process started in Education, Culture, Youth and Sports for 2016-2026

PHILIPSBURG - The Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports (Ministry of ECYS) has started a strategic planning process to redefine its long term ambitions in order to remain responsive to the environment in which they operate. The Honorable Minister Mrs. Rita Bourne-Gumbs has therefore decided to develop a 10 year 2016-2026 Strategic Plan for the Ministry ECYS with Operational Plans for the policy areas of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports.

The first step in the development of this essential document was a strategic kick-off session to align and synchronize the 70 key stakeholders that were present. The first strategic session, called “The future through your eyes”, challenged the stakeholders to think outside of the box and in terms of collaboration both within and outside of the Ministry. The main assignment was to visualize and define the competencies that our future generations should have, to thrive in the Sint Maarten of 2026. Creativity, adaptability, critical thinking, resilience, and interpersonal skills, were some of the most important competencies that were identified. The stakeholders were subsequently asked to determine the main priorities for the 4 policy areas in the coming 10 years and participants indicated critical subjects that they consider missing in the 4 policy departments being Education, Culture, Youth and Sport.

The opening statements by the Prime Minister, the Minister and Secretary General of ECYS, and by the Minister of Justice were clear cut; we should start at the foundation. All Ministries are directly affected by the decisions of the Ministry of ECYS. Therefore, it is time that we recognize the central role of education, culture, youth and sports in regards to their impact on the socio-economic development of our Country. Lifelong learning, the enforcement of our cultural identity, and increased participation in sports, are only some examples of the most important priorities identified by the group. To achieve these, “we have to let go of traditional thinking patterns and find creative ways of working together for the growth of Sint Maarten”, stated Minister Rita Bourne-Gumbs.

KPMG Advisory Services, who has been selected to guide this process, shared some predictions what the world could  look like in 2026. Trends and developments in terms of technology and interconnectedness were shared with the intention to trigger the thoughts of all stakeholders. As a result, the common thread throughout the session could be described by a quote by George Bernard Shaw that states: “those who cannot change their mind cannot change anything.” The output of this initiative will result in a Holistic Strategic Plan that is aligned with all four policy domains of the Ministry of ECYS and developments in the environment in which they operate such as schools, sports organizations, cultural foundations and youth organizations. The end product is planned to be completed in September of 2015.