When discussions turn to improving education in Curaçao, attention often focuses on government budgets, school buildings, teacher shortages, modern technology, and the digitalization of classrooms. These are important issues that deserve serious consideration. But there is another question worth asking: Does improving educational performance always require substantial financial investments?
A study highlighted by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) on October 20, 2026, offers an interesting perspective. Research conducted in Peru suggests that relatively simple, personalized tutoring can help students improve their mathematics performance without requiring expensive digital infrastructure or sophisticated educational technology.
For Curaçao, where policymakers continue searching for ways to strengthen educational outcomes, the findings deserve attention.
Eight Phone Calls, Measurable Progress
The experiment took place in the Ayacucho region of Peru and involved students from 60 secondary schools. Thirty schools participated in a tutoring program, while the remaining 30 served as a control group. More than 2,000 students were included in the research.
Over eight weeks, participating students received one telephone tutoring session per week, focusing on fundamental mathematics skills.
The sessions addressed basic arithmetic, understanding numbers, and solving practical mathematical problems.
The results were encouraging. Students who received the telephone tutoring demonstrated greater average improvement in mathematics than those who did not participate.
Although the researchers described the academic gains as modest, another finding was particularly interesting. Among a specific group of girls who received additional support, researchers observed improvements in confidence in their ability to learn.
The intervention did not depend on expensive computers, elaborate digital learning platforms, or permanent internet connections.
Instead, it relied on three relatively simple elements: an ordinary telephone, a properly prepared tutor, and regular personal attention.
That combination raises an important question about how Curaçao approaches educational improvement.
Are We Paying Enough Attention to Individual Students?
Education policy frequently concentrates on the resources schools need to function. Governments debate infrastructure, staffing levels, curriculum development, and technological modernization.
These discussions are necessary. However, they do not always address what happens when an individual student begins falling behind.
In almost every classroom, some students struggle to keep pace with their classmates.
Some have not fully mastered essential mathematical concepts. Others need additional time to understand new material. Some gradually lose confidence because they repeatedly experience difficulties with assignments and examinations.
When these learning gaps are not identified and addressed early, they can become increasingly difficult to overcome.
A student who struggles with basic arithmetic, for example, may later experience difficulties with algebra, geometry, and other mathematical subjects that require a solid foundation.
The consequences can extend beyond mathematics. Repeated academic difficulties can affect motivation, classroom participation, and a student's overall confidence.
This raises a practical question for Curaçao: How many learning difficulties could be addressed before they become serious problems if students received timely, personalized assistance?
The Peruvian experiment suggests that relatively brief but consistent support may offer one possible answer.
A Potential Opportunity for Curaçao
Rather than immediately launching another expensive educational reform project, Curaçao could consider testing a targeted tutoring initiative for students experiencing difficulties in mathematics.
Such a program could initially involve a limited number of primary or secondary schools.
Students identified as needing additional support could receive short, structured tutoring sessions over eight to twelve weeks.
Qualified teachers, retired educators, educational specialists, and properly trained teacher-training students could potentially participate.
The tutoring would not necessarily have to take place exclusively by telephone.
Depending on the circumstances, schools could combine telephone conversations with short face-to-face sessions or other accessible methods of communication.
The essential element would be consistent individual attention directed toward specific learning difficulties.
A student struggling with multiplication, fractions, or basic problem-solving would receive assistance focused on those weaknesses rather than being expected to keep pace with a broader classroom program without additional support.
This approach could be particularly valuable for students whose parents cannot afford private tutoring.
It could also provide schools with another tool for supporting students before their academic difficulties become more severe.
Not a Free Solution, but Potentially a Smarter Investment
It would be misleading to suggest that telephone tutoring or personalized guidance comes without costs.
An effective program would require careful preparation, qualified personnel, training, coordination, monitoring, and evaluation.
Tutors would need to understand the curriculum and receive guidance on how to identify and address specific learning gaps.
Schools would also need to determine which students require assistance and establish a system for measuring their progress.
However, the potential advantage is that such a program would not necessarily require major investments in new buildings, computers, or other expensive infrastructure.
Much of the required expertise may already exist within Curaçao's educational community.
The challenge would be organizing that expertise effectively and ensuring that the students who need additional attention actually receive it.
A carefully designed pilot program could help determine whether this approach produces measurable improvements under local conditions.
Importantly, the results from Peru do not prove that the same intervention would automatically succeed in Curaçao.
Differences in educational systems, language, curriculum, household circumstances, and access to qualified tutors could influence the results.
That is precisely why a local experiment would be valuable.
Rather than assuming that an approach developed elsewhere will work, Curaçao could test it, measure the outcomes, and determine whether expansion is justified.
What Should a Curaçao Pilot Program Measure?
If Curaçao were to introduce such an initiative, its success should not be judged simply by the number of students participating or the number of tutoring sessions completed.
The central question should be whether students actually learn more.
Participating students could be assessed before the tutoring begins and again after the program ends.
Their progress could then be compared with that of similar students who continue receiving regular classroom instruction without the additional intervention.
Researchers could examine improvements in basic mathematical skills, problem-solving abilities, confidence, and classroom performance.
The evaluation should also consider the cost of delivering the program per student and whether the benefits justify those costs.
If the results demonstrate meaningful improvements at a reasonable cost, policymakers would have evidence to support expanding the initiative.
If the results are disappointing, the government and participating schools would still gain useful information about which approaches are less effective.
This evidence-based approach could help ensure that educational investments are guided by measurable results rather than expectations alone.
Education Reform Is About More Than Buildings and Technology
None of this means Curaçao should reduce its commitment to improving school infrastructure, addressing teacher shortages, or modernizing education.
Qualified teachers, safe classrooms, appropriate teaching materials, and modern educational facilities remain essential.
Technology can also create important opportunities for students and educators.
However, educational innovation should not automatically be associated with purchasing new equipment or introducing increasingly sophisticated digital systems.
Sometimes innovation involves finding a more effective way to deliver something that has always been central to education: personal guidance.
A student who receives regular encouragement and individual assistance may develop a better understanding of difficult subjects and regain confidence in their ability to succeed.
That kind of progress may not attract the same public attention as the opening of a new school building or the introduction of a major digital platform.
Nevertheless, it could have a direct impact on educational outcomes.
A Different Question for Education Policymakers
The Peruvian study presents Curaçao with an opportunity to reconsider how educational improvements are evaluated.
Government officials and education professionals frequently discuss how much money should be allocated to education.
But perhaps an equally important question is how effectively that money is being used to improve student learning.
If a relatively simple intervention can produce measurable academic progress, should it not receive serious consideration alongside larger investment projects?
This is not an argument against increased education funding. It is an argument for ensuring that available resources are directed toward approaches that demonstrably benefit students.
Curaçao does not need to copy the Peruvian experiment without modification. It can learn from its underlying principle: targeted, consistent, personal support may help students overcome difficulties that regular classroom instruction alone has not resolved.
A modest, carefully evaluated pilot program could establish whether that principle also holds true for Curaçao.
Ultimately, educational success should not be measured only by the amount of money spent, the number of classrooms renovated, or the quantity of technology introduced.
It should also be measured by what students actually learn.
And perhaps one of the most valuable lessons from Peru is that improving education does not always begin with a major financial investment.
Sometimes, it begins with a teacher, a telephone, and someone willing to give a struggling student the attention they need.
Source: Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), October 20, 2026 – Research on telephone-based mathematics tutoring in Peru.