ORANJESTAD, Aruba — The Aruba School Maintenance Debate has intensified after Partido Red Democratico challenged recent statements by Education Minister Gerlien Croes about investment in school infrastructure under previous governments.
Red Democratico said documentation left by former Education Minister Rudy Lampe demonstrates that school-infrastructure projects and investments did take place during his administration.
The opposition party released part of Lampe’s handover document in response to what it described as Croes’ assertion that previous governments had done nothing to maintain Aruba’s schools.
Croes Says Years of Insufficient Investment Created Backlog
Croes recently raised concerns about the condition of Aruba’s school buildings after receiving information showing that three schools alone require more than Afl. 13 million in urgent repairs.
She said the problem extends across a system containing nearly 70 additional schools and warned that current financial resources are insufficient to address every infrastructure need simultaneously.
A report of her comments states that Croes criticised previous administrations for serving two terms without sufficient investment in school maintenance and said the present government is now confronting the consequences.
Croes also said approximately Afl. 40 million to Afl. 50 million is available through the Investment Fund this year but called for a more structural approach to maintenance so problems do not continue accumulating.
Red Democratico Presents Lampe Handover Document
Red Democratico rejected the suggestion that previous administrations failed to invest in school infrastructure.
The section of Lampe’s handover document reproduced by the party lists education-infrastructure investment allocations including Afl. 3 million in 2018 through an internal transfer, Afl. 1.5 million in 2019 and Afl. 500,000 in 2020.
For 2021, the document reportedly states that the precise amount was uncertain because the budget was approved late.
The party said the handover document also contains a separate table identifying school-infrastructure projects completed during the period.
Those figures demonstrate that some funds and projects existed. They do not, by themselves, establish whether the investment level was sufficient to prevent the maintenance backlog Croes is now describing.
St. Aloysius Becomes Part of Political Dispute
Red Democratico also said Lampe left money in the 2021 budget that was eventually used toward renovation of St. Aloysius School in Noord.
Independent reporting confirms that St. Aloysius underwent a major renovation beginning in 2022.
The project included renovation and modernisation of 12 classrooms, improvements to the roof and ceilings, new offices, a library, sanitary facilities and a gymnasium. Government reporting at the time said additional funding had been made available to SKOA for the project.
A 2022 report stated that approximately Afl. 2 million had been allocated for the complete renovation and gymnasium.
However, the sources reviewed do not independently establish that the full renovation financing came specifically from the 2021 allocation cited by Red Democratico.
Party Cites Earlier Plans for Juliana and Beatrix Schools
Red Democratico said the former administration also had a plan involving the historic Juliana and Reina Beatrix school buildings.
According to the party, the buildings would have been transferred for use by an international private medical university, which would have renovated them without direct cost to the government.
The party said the proposal was intended to attract international students to downtown Oranjestad.
Red Democratico further stated that Lampe arranged for Reina Beatrix School to receive its current facility near the Oranjestad Post Office.
Historical reporting confirms that Reina Beatrix School relocated in August 2022 to Uruguaystraat near the Post Office.
The private medical-university proposal, however, was not independently confirmed through an executed agreement in the sources reviewed.
Current Government Pursuing Different Plan
Whatever discussions existed previously, the former Juliana and Beatrix buildings ultimately did not become a private medical-university complex.
In August 2025, the current government announced a programme to restore both historic buildings through the Monumenten Planning Bureau.
The historic Beatrix building remains government-owned and protected as a monument. Monumentenfonds Aruba says both the Beatrix and adjacent Juliana buildings are intended for government-led renovation.
That distinction is important because some elements cited by Red Democratico describe earlier plans, while others involve projects that were actually implemented.
Debate Centers on What Counts as Adequate Maintenance
The available evidence shows that school-infrastructure spending and renovation work did occur under previous governments.
At the same time, Croes’ current argument is that investment over many years was inadequate to prevent the extensive maintenance problems now facing Aruba’s education system.
Those positions are not necessarily mutually exclusive.
A government can complete individual projects while still leaving a broader structural maintenance deficit.
For that reason, describing Red Democratico’s response as proof that every aspect of Croes’ criticism is false would go beyond the available evidence.
Political Discussion Expected to Continue
The Aruba School Maintenance Debate now centres on how much was invested, which projects were completed, which plans were never implemented and whether previous spending was sufficient for the long-term maintenance needs of Aruba’s schools.
Red Democratico is using Lampe’s handover documentation to argue that the historical record contains concrete investments and projects that should not be ignored.
Croes, meanwhile, is pointing to the present condition of school buildings and the millions of florins required for urgent repairs as evidence that Aruba has lacked a sustainable maintenance system for many years.
A clearer assessment would require publication of the complete historical investment figures, completed-project records and current technical assessments for Aruba’s school buildings.
