WILLEMSTAD – Curaçao’s Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport (OWCS) is intensifying its focus on school safety following a serious incident last week in which a student pulled a knife during a conflict and a teacher was injured while intervening.
The incident has renewed concerns about the safety of both students and education professionals. In response, the ministry said it will build on existing measures while accelerating and strengthening policies where necessary.
Schools across Curaçao will remain open on Monday, September 21, and classes will continue as scheduled.
The ministry said it respects the right of employees to organize and voice their concerns and is in direct contact with school boards regarding the situation. Teachers’ union SITEK has scheduled a general meeting for Monday morning during school hours. Where staff participation results in shortages, individual school boards will make arrangements for the supervision and care of students.
SITEK and DOEN have meanwhile been invited to an urgent meeting on Tuesday, September 22, at 2:00 p.m. at Fort Amsterdam to discuss school safety.
The meeting will be attended by the Minister of Justice, who also serves as Deputy Prime Minister, the Minister of Social Development, Labor and Welfare (SOAW), and the Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport.
According to OWCS, improving safety requires a broad and structural approach rather than measures focused solely on individual incidents.
Several initiatives are already being developed or implemented, including the Youth Court, training in restorative circles and closer cooperation between schools and neighborhood police officers. The ministry said the police’s rapid response to the latest incident demonstrated the importance of such cooperation.
At the same time, existing security measures will be reassessed, particularly protocols for serious violence and incidents involving weapons or other dangerous objects.
An interministerial meeting with the relevant ministers and agencies is also scheduled this week to determine concrete short-term measures.
The ministry said implementation of the existing school safety plan will be accelerated and strengthened where necessary. Protocols governing serious violent incidents and the use or possession of weapons and dangerous objects will also be reviewed.
Authorities will additionally reassess the consequences for students who bring weapons or other dangerous objects onto school grounds or use them to endanger fellow students or staff.
Where stricter measures are considered necessary and legally possible, the ministry said they will be introduced urgently.
“It must be clear to every student that such behavior crosses a serious line,” the ministry said, adding that clear and appropriate consequences must apply within the existing legal framework.
The knife incident is also the subject of a criminal investigation. Depending on the facts and circumstances established during the investigation, criminal prosecution may follow. That decision rests with the competent judicial authorities.
OWCS emphasized that maintaining safe schools is a shared responsibility and said it will continue working to ensure that students and education professionals can study and work in a secure environment.