WILLEMSTAD - The introduction of a new school safety plan, which is to be formalized as a new law, has been postponed. The reason for this delay is that the Ministry of Finance disagrees with the financial aspects of the plan. This information was shared by the Minister of Education, Science, Culture, and Sport in response to questions from the teachers' union, Sitek.
The proposed law was developed because Minister Van Heydoorn wants students and teachers to know what to do in emergency situations. The draft of this proposed law dates back to 2019. The Ministry of Finance already issued a negative opinion in 2020, stating that the plans were not thoroughly detailed.
In response, Van Heydoorn wrote a letter to the Ministry of Finance, emphasizing the urgency of the law. However, this has proven to be insufficient. The afternoon newspaper reports that the Ministry of Finance wants a detailed description for each school in Curaçao outlining internal procedures.
The minister maintains that the law should not focus on details but rather provide a framework for schools to create their own emergency plans. This framework does not involve school renovations but measures to shape the emergency plan.
As a result, it may take some time before schools can actually start implementing their safety plans.