WILLEMSTAD – PAR parliamentarian Shaheen Elhage is calling on Education Minister Sithree van Heydoorn to provide detailed figures on teacher vacancies, children outside the education system, special education waiting lists and the execution of Curaçao’s education improvement program during the first half of 2026.
Elhage submitted the questions as part of a wider review of the government’s implementation of the 2026 budget.
Under the Government Program, authorities pledged to continue the Mehorashon di Enseñansa, or Improvement of Education, program. Its objectives include providing equal educational opportunities, improving working conditions for teachers, modernizing schools, expanding digital education, strengthening technical education and creating more opportunities for children before and after school.
More than ANG 1 million was budgeted for digital equipment for education, according to the document.
However, Elhage points out that the Advisory Council previously questioned whether financing and implementation arrangements for the different components of the education improvement program were sufficiently clear. Questions were also raised about whether enough personnel and funding would be available to achieve all of the government’s objectives.
During the first half of 2026, preparations were made for school inspections and the installation of solar panels at schools. An education conference was also organized at which four ministers signed a declaration of intent, while a leadership development program for education was approved.
Elhage acknowledges these initiatives but argues that parents and students need to know what has actually changed inside Curaçao’s schools.
According to the document, several major projects had either not started or were experiencing delays. These include a new function and salary system, a national school plan, specialized education, repairs to school buildings and the implementation of several labor-related projects.
Elhage is asking the Education Ministry to disclose the current number of vacancies at each school, educational level and subject, as well as how many vacancies were permanently filled during the first half of the year.
He also wants figures on children and young people who are legally required to attend school but are either not registered or are not regularly attending classes.
Special education is another central issue.
Elhage wants to know how many students are currently waiting for places in specialized or adapted education, how many specialists are lacking and how much additional capacity the government expects to create before the end of 2026.
Questions are also being raised about school infrastructure. The minister is being asked which schools were inspected, which repairs were completed and when solar panels, ventilation and climate-control systems will be installed at schools considered suitable for those investments.
The new function and salary system for education personnel also comes under scrutiny. Elhage wants to know what the system will cost, how the expenditure will be financed and when teachers will see improvements reflected in their salaries.
The PAR parliamentarian is additionally calling for the creation of a public dashboard for Curaçao’s schools.
He proposes that the platform provide information including teacher numbers, classes that could not be given, building maintenance, inspection results, digital equipment delivered, student results and the progress of investment projects.
Elhage argues that education is fundamental to Curaçao’s future and that parents should be able to determine whether public investments are actually producing improvements in classrooms.