SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) - The Government of Sint Maarten has submitted a letter to the Parliament of Sint Maarten clarifying its position on the ongoing discussions with the Windward Islands Civil Servants Union/Private Sector Union (WICSU-PSU) concerning the Fire and Ambulance Department.

The letter, signed by Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina, was submitted to Parliament on Friday, November 7th, 2025, along with supporting attachments.

Before this official submission, the Prime Minister had already shared a chronological overview of the dialogue between the Government and the union with a majority of the faction leaders in Parliament.

That overview detailed the sequence of meetings, correspondence, and efforts made by both sides, reflecting the Government’s ongoing commitment to transparency and cooperation.

The Prime Minister’s letter comes in response to public remarks made earlier on Friday, November 7th, 2025, by representatives of the WICSU-PSU and Members of Parliament from the National Alliance (NA) and the United People’s Party (UPP) during a live broadcast.

“It’s important that the public has a clear understanding of what has actually taken place,” said Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina. “The Government has remained open, respectful, and consistent in its engagement with the union. Our goal has always been to find solutions through dialogue.”

According to the Prime Minister, both parties had agreed to begin negotiations on a draft covenant meant to address longstanding matters within the Fire and Ambulance Department. These discussions were set to begin on September 26, 2025.

However, at the start of that meeting, the Government’s negotiation team was unexpectedly presented with three requests from the union, which the union asked to be formally committed to in writing before ending its ongoing go-slow action.

“That request was unexpected and caused some delay in getting the talks underway,” Dr. Mercelina explained. “Nevertheless, we chose to respond calmly and in good faith.”

After reviewing the situation, the Prime Minister noted that the document outlining the requests was not on official letterhead. To maintain proper procedure, he requested a signed version of the document, which the union subsequently submitted on the same day. Both letters — from the Government and the union — were attached to the correspondence now before Parliament.

Importantly, the Government had already confirmed in letters dated October 24, 2025, and November 5, 2025, that it agreed with the union’s requests. These written commitments reaffirm the Government’s willingness to move the process forward and maintain a spirit of mutual understanding and collaboration.

 “The Government’s approach has always been guided by transparency, process, and mutual respect,” Dr. Mercelina added. “We will continue working with the union to reach practical and lasting outcomes that serve both our firefighters, ambulance staff, and the wider community.”

The Prime Minister reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to handling labor matters responsibly and collaboratively.

“Our Fire and Ambulance personnel play a vital role in keeping our country safe,” concluded Dr. Mercelina. “They deserve an environment where issues are addressed through open, structured, and respectful dialogue. That remains this Government’s focus — solutions that strengthen the Fire and Ambulance Department and, by extension, our entire public service.”

SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) - The Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth & Sport (MECYS) through the Division for Educational Innovation (DEI) announces a successful first week of the Professional Development in the Dutch Language project. Hosted by the Milton Peters College (MPC), subject and language teachers took part in practical, interactive workshops on Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) and on creating highly contextual, language-rich lessons with support from AI.

The trainings held during the week of October 14 -17, 2025, were delivered by Bureau NVT (Ms. Petra Roël and Mr. Guus Perry) and were attended by all Dutch as a Foreign Language (NVT) secondary-level education teachers, as well as the MPC subject teachers.

To support ongoing learning, the project’s online platform includes a CLIL theory library and a catalogue of previously developed, freely accessible materials. This ensures alignment with earlier projects and developments, building on proven practice rather than reinventing the wheel. Teachers will also be able to share, review, and reuse their newly developed lessons. In addition, the teachers will have access to a website for the full duration of the project which will enable them to develop Dutch-supported lessons, free of charge. This will encourage collaboration and continuous improvement.

During the week, NVT teachers also collaborated to align their curriculum goals, sequencing, and classroom approaches. They held a constructive dialogue with a representative from MECYS, where they shared ideas on resources which will enrich their curriculum. This joint effort signals a strong, shared commitment from all stakeholders to work together and raise educational standards across Sint Maarten.

The week concluded with a strong set of lesson plans shared on the platform. Among them, a geography lesson stood out for its creative integration of language learning, featuring Sint Maarten’s beaches, activities, and local imagery. Drawing on insights from the training and AI tools, the lessons showcased how subject learning and Dutch language development can go hand in hand to benefit local students.

This project is a collaboration across the education ecosystem, involving MECYS, with support of Division of Examinations, Division of Inspection ECYS, and the Division for Educational Innovation. As a next step, teachers will apply the new knowledge and tools in their classrooms. The project will continue with follow-up activities, including additional sessions, lesson coaching, and sharing of results to further strengthen practice and impact.

“This approach helps students build subject knowledge and Dutch proficiency at the same time,” stated lead trainer, Ms. Petra Roël. “I was deeply impressed by the teachers’ hard work this week and their commitment to developing accessible, context-rich lessons. Dutch is a foreign language for the students on Sint Maarten, and they have a right to explicit language support at their level. With targeted support, AI, and open material sharing, we’re expecting to see practical benefits in classrooms across Sint Maarten.”

“As the Manager of the Division for Educational Innovation, I am happy to see this innovative program being executed in the secondary schools. The objective of this training is to equip the teachers with their lesson preparations, instructions, and assessment, which in turn will enhance the participation and performance of their students,” stated Ms. Oralie Boirard.

"I’m truly proud of our teachers for the energy and effort they’re putting into this. Learning in the Dutch language isn’t always easy for our students, but when teachers bring real-life examples and creativity into the classroom, it makes a big difference. This kind of teamwork and innovation is what will keep lifting education on Sint Maarten to higher heights. It’s about helping our students feel confident in both the language and the lessons they learn," stated Minister of Education, Culture, Youth & Sport, Ms. Melissa D. Gumbs.

SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) - From more guidance in study choice to internships and study exchanges. The Strategic Education Alliance programme (SEA) is an important initiative between governments and educational institutions of Aruba, Curaçao, St. Maarten and the Netherlands. It aims to make the transition to further education easier in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom and to better prepare students for studying in the Netherlands or elsewhere. Today, this programme, which aims to increase the academic success of Caribbean students, was extended until 31 December 2028. 

That is one of the agreements made during the Ministerial Four-Country Consultation OCW (M4LO) on Bonaire. Every year, the Ministers of Education, Culture and Science of Aruba, Curaçao, St. Maarten and the Netherlands meet during M4LO. During this consultation, the Netherlands also represents Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba.

Minister Moes: “We want to make the most of all the talent in our Kingdom. Together with my fellow Ministers from the other three countries of the Kingdom, we have worked hard in recent years to increase cooperation between the Caribbean region and the Netherlands in the fields of education, culture and science. Successfully. For example, a strong network of teachers, counsellors and support staff has been established in the Netherlands and on the islands to help young people from the Caribbean part of the Kingdom make the right study choices and develop their talents”. 

The SEA programme offers, among other things, Kingdom scholarships for students at the level of Senior Secondary Vocational Education (MBO), Higher Professional Education (HBO) and University Education (WO) for study exchanges or internships in another part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.  They also receive better guidance. For example, universities of applied sciences and vocational colleges in the Netherlands are collaborating in the SEA programme to improve the intake and progression of Caribbean students. More and more universities of applied sciences and vocational colleges now have special introduction days or mentoring programmes for young people from the Caribbean. Every year, more than 1,600 young people from this part of the Kingdom begin their studies in the Netherlands.

Furthermore, the Ministers decided to work with educational institutions to promote brain gain (retaining and attracting talent). The aim is to interest young people in working in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom in order to thus combat labour shortages.

Another step in the strengthening of education in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom is the expansion of the successful partnership ‘Kibrahacha’.

This programme currently focuses on training teachers for primary education in Aruba and Curaçao and on Bonaire. Teacher training programmes for secondary education and vocational education will also be added soon. St. Maarten and the Netherlands are also investigating whether a similar initiative can be launched in the Windward Islands. Kibrahacha combines traditional teacher training with practical classroom experience. School trainers play an important role in mentoring future teachers in the workplace.

Finally, during the M4LO, a procedure was established for joint nominations for the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list on behalf of the entire Kingdom. The craft of the miller, the parade culture and the summer carnival in Rotterdam are already on this list on behalf of the Netherlands.

THE NETHERLANDS (THE HAGUE) – Her Excellency Diedre Mills, Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium and Head Mission to the European Union (EU), has expressed her heartfelt gratitude and outpouring of love, support and solidarity on behalf of the Government and the people of Jamaica during this difficult time after the passing of Hurricane Melissa.

In her letter dated October 31, 2025, Ambassador Mills added, “As we begin the recovery and reconstruction phase, we do so with the kind assurance of your unwavering commitment and steadfast support so that we can build back even stronger than ever.”

Her Excellency Sint Maarten’s Minister Plenipotentiary Drs. Gracita Arrindell had the pleasure of meeting Ambassador Mills on the sidelines of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)’s General Conference in Uzbekistan in the historic city of Samarkand.

“The Ambassador personally expressed her gratitude for Sint Maarten’s expression from the outset of my address of solidarity with the people and Government of Jamaica while having the floor and attention of the UNESCO Conference. I also mentioned Haiti, The Bahamas, and the Dominican Republic which were also impacted by Melissa.

“We are deeply saddened to learn that the Government of Jamaica has confirmed 28 fatalities to date associated with the passage of the hurricane. I extend my condolences to the families who have lost loved ones due to this natural disaster,” Minister Arrindell said on Thursday.

Minister Plenipotentiary Drs. Gracita R. Arrindell addressed the General Conference on behalf of the Honourable Melissa D. Gumbs, Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport.

The 43rd UNESCO General Conference runs from 30 October to 13 November 2025.