Dear Editor,
The recent court verdict in the case brought by the SVOBE school board (responsible for MPC and Sundial), highlights several serious shortcomings within the vision and mission of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport.
Whilst, everyone is congratulating the SAM party for nominating Nathaly Tackling for the position of Minister of Justice. Please be reminded that Ms. Tackling is a MPC VWO alumni. The current Minister of Justice Lyndon Lewis is also an MPC alumni.
The SVOBE school board has been complaining for years to the Ministry of Education Culture, Youth and Sports (read: Department of Education) that the lumpsum compensation does not adequately cover the cost for academic secondary education streams like VWO and Technical Vocational education streams like PKL and PBL, specifically because of the limited number of students and the clearly identified need for these special forms of education.
Ministers are usually politically responsible; however, the acting Secretary General Shermina Powell-Richardson and Head of the Department of Education Sidonia Lacorbiniere-Hodge have been responsible for educational policies within the Ministry for at least the last seven (7) years.
During this period, the problems and chaos within the education sector in St.Maarten have been consistently increasing.
Mrs. Lacorbiniere-Hodge after an extended medical leave for a few years returned to work, however since 2020, she has been working from home. The staff of the Department of Education works part-time on a rotating schedule. This all with blessing of the acting Secretary General Mrs. Powell-Richardson.
There is a high staff turnover at the Department of Education. Seemingly working with Mrs Lacorbiniere-Hodge is extremely challenging, a sentiment, which has also been echoed by various colleagues in the ministry's management team.
The acting Secretary General who is in charge of the day to day management of the ministry has been unable to address these issues due to her own incompetent style of leadership.
As a result of this chaos, education, and in particular secondary education, is paying the price
The lack of leadership, planning and vision, means the ministry's policy agenda has been completely outsourced to consultants who are being paid monies which can be invested into secondary education on St.Maarten.
The lumpsum compensation system has not been evaluated in 10 years.
Whilst government partially compensates schoolboards for the personnel expenses, the expenses for Public Education are fully covered. Public Education receives more subsidy than SVOBE and SKOS combined for less students.
The ministry and Department of Education need to decide whether St.Maarten wants to continue offering VWO and Technical Vocational education. These streams require specialized and expensive teachers (masters/applied science degrees) for a small group of students.
Any adequately functioning Ministry of Education with good leadership and vision would take steps to safeguard these forms of education on the island.
Former minister Samuel contracted the services of the SOAB to recruit a new Secretary General for the Ministry of Education Culture Youth and Sport, considering his lack of confidence in the current acting Secretary General.
What was the outcome of that process?
When will the head of the Department of Education return to work full-time?
The Ministry of Education Culture Youth and Sport has lost its way.
Let's hope that the next Minister takes steps to shake up the ministry's top brass; otherwise, she will face the same faith as her predecessor.
Koos van K
A concerned education specialist
