ORANJESTAD (AAN) – Aruba and Curaçao Sign Digital Education Partnership after the governments of both countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen cooperation in the digital transformation of education and government services.
The agreement was signed by Minister of Kingdom Relations, Education, Youth, Innovation and Sports Gerlien Croes on behalf of Aruba and Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Sithree van Heydoorn on behalf of Curaçao. The partnership marks an important step in expanding digital collaboration between the two countries within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Sharing Digital Expertise
The cooperation is built on the principles of efficiency, reciprocity, and transparency.
Under the agreement, Curaçao will share its experience with the Centraal Landelijke Onderwijs Applicatie (CLOA), a digital education system featuring centralized dashboards and platforms used for managing, monitoring, and evaluating educational data.
In return, Aruba will share its progress in developing e-government services, improving interoperability between government departments, and establishing a Shared Service Organization to strengthen digital government systems.
Key Areas of Cooperation
The Memorandum of Understanding outlines several priority areas for future collaboration, including:
- The development and exchange of education information systems, including student registration platforms and centralized dashboards.
- Support for creating a strategic digitalization roadmap for Aruba’s education sector.
- Improved interoperability between education databases and Aruba’s national government registries.
- Collaboration on digital pedagogy, curriculum development, and strengthening STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education and digital skills.
- Exploration of joint pilot projects involving digital examinations, learning analytics, and blended learning models.
Three-Year Agreement
The MoU will remain in effect for three years and will be coordinated through designated national points of contact in both Aruba and Curaçao.
The agreement also serves as a foundation for future, more comprehensive cooperation through additional working sessions and formal agreements.
Minister Gerlien Croes welcomed the partnership, saying it will create new opportunities for innovation in Aruba’s education sector while strengthening regional cooperation between the two islands.
She reaffirmed the Ministry of Education’s commitment to building a modern, innovative education system that prepares students and institutions for the opportunities and challenges of the digital era.
