WILLEMSTAD - In a letter addressed to the Minister of Education, the Member of Parliament for the opposition party PAR states that the important trajectory to improve our schools with the funds made available by the Netherlands (30 million euros to be exact) began in January 2021. Croes mentions having several questions regarding the progress of the renovation works that started almost two and a half years ago.
The Member of Parliament asks if it is possible to receive a list of all the renovation phases and which schools are included in each phase.
Croes also requests to receive an overview of all the schools that have been completely renovated so far and how much each renovation has cost.
Croes understands that the tranche of 14.5 million florins was sent from the Netherlands to Curaçao starting from November 2022. However, he notes that it is still pending at the Ministry of Finance and has not yet reached the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture & Sports (OWCS) or the organizations responsible for carrying out the renovation works. This means that seven months have passed in the meantime.
Croes asks if this information is accurate. If not, he asks the Minister to confirm how long these funds have remained at the Ministry of Finance and to explain why they have been held there for this period of time.
The Member of Parliament also asks if there are any delays in the current trajectory. If so, where exactly and what are the reasons for these delays?
Another question is whether, when renovating a facility, all the necessary changes to digitize the facility are taken into account. In other words, can the electrical and infrastructure needs be updated or added to each facility at least?
Croes also wants to know the total cost for renovating all schools in Curaçao according to the prepared reports.
Considering the progress and the costs of the trajectory so far, Croes asks if the Minister will indicate whether the 30 million euros are sufficient to renovate all schools in Curaçao (excluding the schools that will be closed and not included in the renovation plan).
Lastly, the Member of Parliament for PAR asks if it is possible to visit one or some of the schools where the renovation work has been completed.