PHILIPSBURG – The Student Support Services Division (SSSD) of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth, and Sports Affairs will be holding a free online workshop on Thursday, August 19, 2021, for persons seeking to continue their education in the United States and Canada.
This online workshop entitled “College or University 101: The US &Canadian Systems” will be held from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM.
According to SSSD officials, transitioning from a Dutch or English-based educational system on St. Maarten into an American or Canadian tertiary system can be overwhelming for some students but it does not have to be this way. They added that this workshop will be aiming to make this process less cumbersome for students. Students in their last two years of secondary school or recent graduates who are interested in studying in the United States of America (USA) or Canada are invited to attend this free and interactive workshop.
The workshop will cover the application process to graduation. According to SSSD officials, “With the global Covid 19 situation, timeliness is even more important. If for example, the required documents are not submitted in a timely manner to the schools then students may not be considered for acceptance and it can delay the start time of further studies.”
The added aim is for workshop participants to learn the various steps in applying to schools and what factors to keep in mind when considering schools to apply to. Parents are also urged to encourage their children to sign up and participate in this workshop since this is beneficial to them.
A similar workshop for students aiming to study in the Netherlands is scheduled to be held on September 2, 2021.
Students or parents can register in advance by calling SSSD at 543-1235 and registrants will then receive an invitation by email. On the day of the event, participants can click the link on SSSD’s Facebook page and join the online workshop. Attendants are also encouraged to register for the workshop and log on, on time. If parents or students have any questions on these workshops, they can contact the Student Support Services Division at telephone 543-1235 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information.
The Student Support Services Division (SSSD) provides services to students referred by the schools such as psychological services, counseling services, social work services, educational diagnostic services, speech-language pathology services. SSSD also provides general services such as career services, parent sessions, and crisis response.
