WILLEMSTAD – The government of Curaçao does not have an exact overview of how many school-age children on the island are not attending school. This was revealed in responses by Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Sithree van Heydoorn to questions from Curaçao Parliament member Giselle Mc William of the MAN/PIN party regarding a letter from the Ombudsman of Curaçao about the state of education.
According to the minister, reliable figures are lacking because Curaçao does not yet have a national data system capable of comparing how many children fall under compulsory education and how many are actually enrolled in school and attending classes. As a result, authorities cannot determine precisely how many children remain outside the education system for extended periods.
Van Heydoorn acknowledged that structural problems in enforcing the compulsory education law have existed for years. A shortage of staff, insufficient work processes and limited information systems have all contributed to weak enforcement of attendance requirements.
The department responsible for monitoring compulsory education currently operates with only three staff members. These officials handle an average of 40 to 50 cases per month, ranging from prolonged unauthorized absenteeism to student suspensions and expulsions.
The lack of capacity has been a long-standing issue. According to the minister, the compulsory education unit has for years operated “without sufficient capacity, personnel and instruments” to fully carry out its legal responsibilities.
Despite the absence of comprehensive data, some indicators illustrate the scale of the problem. The unit deals with approximately ten cases of unauthorized absenteeism or expelled students each week. In addition, around 35 children are currently receiving education at home.
The ministry is now working to strengthen the system. Additional staff are being recruited and, for the first time, a coordinator for compulsory education will be appointed. The team is expected to expand to six employees. Authorities are also developing a digital registration system and a national monitoring platform to better track school dropout rates.
According to the minister, the current situation may lead to social and legal inequality for children and their families. To address the issue, the ministry is preparing a policy plan for 2026 and 2027 aimed at improving the enforcement of compulsory education. The plan is expected to be presented to the Curaçao Parliament by July 31.
The first evaluation of the new policy is scheduled for 2027, when parliament will receive a report on the effectiveness of the measures taken.