WILLEMSTAD – Education union DOEN has marked the start of the 2026-2027 school year by wishing teachers and other education workers a successful year, while warning that several long-standing problems within Curaçao’s education system remain unresolved.
The union says urgent action is needed on both the financial and employment conditions of education workers. Among the issues raised are outstanding salary payments, teachers’ workload and unresolved matters concerning their legal and employment status.
DOEN is also calling for improvements to the physical conditions under which teachers and students are expected to work. The union wants properly functioning air conditioning in all classrooms and sufficient teaching materials to ensure educators can perform their jobs effectively.
The concerns come against the background of an already tense relationship between DOEN and the government over compensation for education workers. Earlier this year, the union went to court over a salary increment that it says should have been paid to education personnel in August 2024. DOEN argued that education workers had been treated unequally compared with other government employees.
The union's demands at the beginning of the new school year are also consistent with concerns it raised a year ago. At the start of the 2025-2026 school year, DOEN described that period as a “decisive school year” and argued that education workers were carrying an excessive burden because of insufficient structural management and investment in the sector.
DOEN says its priorities for 2026-2027 will include the well-being and professional development of teachers and other education personnel. The union says it intends to continue pressing the government and other responsible parties for concrete results rather than allowing unresolved issues to carry over from one school year to the next.
The broader challenges facing education have also been the subject of discussions beyond the unions. Earlier this year, Curaçao’s Social and Economic Council (SER) highlighted the need for structural cooperation between government, education, employers, employees and young people to strengthen the education system and improve its connection with the labor market. The SER said future-oriented education requires clear responsibilities, institutional cooperation and administrative continuity.
For DOEN, however, improvements to the education system must also begin with the people working in classrooms every day. The union says it will continue fighting during the new school year for better working conditions, adequate resources and greater recognition of education personnel.
DOEN, formally the union for teaching and non-teaching personnel for renewed education, represents workers within Curaçao's education sector.