WILLEMSTAD – KPEK is raising concerns about the state of education reform in Curaçao, questioning why high-quality education remains out of reach despite years of initiatives, studies, and international support.
The organization’s concerns come amid ongoing implementation of the so-called “Country Packages,” reform agreements signed in 2020 between Curaçao and the Netherlands. These agreements cover key sectors such as governance, the economy, healthcare, taxation, financial management, and education, in exchange for financial and technical support.
According to the Curaçao government, the reform program has entered its final phase, where priorities must be set due to limited implementation capacity. However, a recent implementation report (No. 2 2025, published in February 2026) shows that several core projects—including social security, healthcare, education, and tax services—remain largely in the planning stage or are facing significant delays. These setbacks are partly attributed to persistent capacity shortages across multiple ministries.
KPEK warns that discontinuing or failing to extend the reform packages could further weaken Curaçao’s ability to implement changes, as the agreements provide not only technical assistance but also a structured framework for coordination, monitoring, and co-financing.
Within the education sector, the organization notes that numerous well-intentioned initiatives have been launched in recent years, including baseline assessments, policy frameworks, training programs, and conferences. Despite this, tangible improvements in classrooms remain limited. While investments such as improved classroom facilities and laptops for teachers have been made, KPEK argues that there is still a lack of a clear, well-developed vision that positively impacts teaching practices and student outcomes.
KPEK, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving educational quality and professional development, has developed quality standards for teachers, organized conferences and workshops, and presented a multi-year plan outlining the most urgent challenges in the education system along with proposed solutions. This plan has been shared with key stakeholders, including the Ministry of Education and school leadership.
Despite these efforts, KPEK states that progress where it matters most—in the classroom—remains minimal. The organization defines high-quality education as a system that focuses not only on cognitive development, such as language and mathematics, but also on the social and personal development of students. It emphasizes that teachers play a crucial role in this process, yet concrete support and attention for educators remain insufficient.
The reliance on external expertise, particularly from the Netherlands, is also highlighted as a potential risk. According to KPEK, foreign experts may approach Curaçao’s challenges through the lens of the Dutch education system, which does not always align with the island’s unique context. As a result, proposed solutions may be effective in the Netherlands but less suitable locally.
In response, KPEK plans to publish weekly articles in the coming period, each focusing on key areas for improvement in education. Topics will include leadership in education, early childhood education, language policy, and teacher training. The initiative aims to create a sense of urgency within the community and push these issues higher on the policy agenda.
KPEK has reiterated its willingness to collaborate with all stakeholders in the education sector to help drive meaningful change. The organization announced that its next publication will focus specifically on leadership in education, a factor it considers critical to achieving lasting improvements in Curaçao’s school system.