WILLEMSTAD – PAR faction leader Quincy Girigorie is calling on the Curaçao government to determine how many children need breakfast and lunch at school, arguing that adequate nutrition should be part of efforts to address inequality in education.
Girigorie submitted parliamentary questions to Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Sithree van Heydoorn and Minister of Social Development, Labor and Welfare Charetti America-Francisca as Curaçao begins a new school year.
The PAR leader refers to the January 2025 report “Kansengelijkheid in het Onderwijs” on equal opportunities in education, which according to his letter concludes that Curaçao’s education system does not currently provide children from lower-income families with the same opportunities for development.
Girigorie states that Census figures indicate this group represents approximately 40.8 percent of the community. He also cites figures showing that 12,732 children attend foundation-based education and another 8,095 attend secondary education.
According to PAR, large-scale reforms are not the only way the government can tackle inequality. Girigorie argues that smaller, targeted measures can have an immediate impact on children who need assistance most.
One of those measures, he says, should be ensuring that every child has adequate food each day, regardless of the family’s financial circumstances.
“A child without adequate nutrition does not have an equal opportunity to develop as they should,” Girigorie argues in his letter.
More Than 700 Children Already Receiving Meals
Girigorie points to the work of Fundashon Tur Mucha Mester Kome, which he says has been providing daily meals to more than 700 children for over seven years, partly with government subsidies.
The subsidy falls under the Ministry of Social Development, Labor and Welfare.
However, PAR wants to know whether the current assistance is sufficient to meet the actual level of need across Curaçao.
Girigorie is asking whether the government has conducted a study or survey to determine the need for school meals in foundation-based and secondary education. He also wants to know when the government last established how many students require breakfast and lunch every day.
The ministers are being asked to disclose how many children need daily meals, how many received food during the 2025-2026 school year and which neighborhoods or areas have the greatest need.
PAR also wants to know whether the existing subsidy for Fundashon Tur Mucha Mester Kome is sufficient and how many students are expected to receive daily meals during the 2026-2027 school year.
Girigorie says the information is particularly important ahead of Curaçao’s 2027 budget, which Parliament is expected to receive within weeks.
According to the PAR leader, lawmakers need a clear picture of the actual need so sufficient funding can be allocated to ensure that children who require nutritional support can receive it.