Lecturer Marcel Daniëls has been appointed a Knight in the Order of Orange-Nassau for his work strengthening education about Kingdom relations and cooperation between the Netherlands, Aruba and other Caribbean parts of the Kingdom.
Daniëls received the royal decoration on August 25 from The Hague deputy mayor Lotte van Basten Batenburg during a gathering at The Hague University of Applied Sciences. Former students initiated the nomination in recognition of his educational work.
Program grew from a gap in Kingdom education
According to The Hague University of Applied Sciences, Daniëls began examining the limited availability of education about the Caribbean part of the Kingdom in 2018. He launched a minor in Kingdom Affairs in 2019, and that initiative later expanded into a broader academic and professional program.
The work now includes a four-day course for civil servants, a postgraduate Kingdom Affairs program developed with Leiden University, and cooperation involving universities in Utrecht, Leiden, Curaçao and Aruba. Courses have also been offered on the islands.
Aruba links formed through student visits
Students in the minor visited Aruba in 2023, 2024 and 2025 to learn directly from the island’s institutions and community. The program grew to include more students and experts, as well as collaboration with the University of Aruba.
Aruba parliamentarian and former prime minister Evelyn Wever-Croes, who supported the nomination, congratulated Daniëls and said his work has helped improve understanding in the Netherlands of the realities and perspectives of the Caribbean countries within the Kingdom.
The university said students proposed the honor because of Daniëls’ sustained contribution. His appointment as a Knight recognizes work that extends beyond classroom teaching into institutional partnerships and public-sector education.
Sources: Information based on reporting from Diario Aruba and confirmation from The Hague University of Applied Sciences.
