As part of efforts to strengthen cooperation between the islands of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Aruba’s Minister of Education, Gerlien Croes, has invited a technical delegation from the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports (OCWS) of Curaçao to contribute to the development of a structural plan for the digitalization of Aruba’s education system. This collaboration marks a strategic step toward implementing a modern, integrated, and efficient system tailored to the current and future needs of education in Aruba.
The Curaçao delegation, consisting of Wladimir Kleinmoedig, Samira Saab, and Derrick Jonis, presented the advanced system currently in use in Curaçao known as CLOA – Central National Education Administration. CLOA is an interactive digital dashboard that centralizes essential data on student numbers and levels, teachers, infrastructure, digital learning tools, and school connectivity. The platform enables strategic decision-making based on real-time data.
Minister Croes expressed strong admiration for the level of implementation achieved in Curaçao and conveyed appreciation to his counterpart, Curaçao’s Minister Sithree van Heydoorn, for sharing knowledge, experience, and best practices in this critical area.
“We are at a crucial moment in the transformation of our education system. To reach the level we aspire to, we must place strong emphasis on innovation, digitalization, and the intelligent use of data,” Minister Croes emphasized.
A Roadmap with an Integrated and Locally Adapted Approach
The main objective is to implement a similar dashboard in Aruba, adapted to local realities, providing relevant information to all stakeholders in the education chain while respecting authorization levels and data privacy.
Building a Sustainable Foundation: The 5 M’s and a Ministerial Steering Committee
Curaçao’s framework is based on five pillars: Child, Teacher, Parent, Material, and Management—a holistic approach that places the student at the center. Within this context, Aruba plans to establish a Ministerial Steering Committee for Digitalization and Innovation in Education to coordinate implementation in areas such as physical infrastructure, digital learning materials, and connectivity. The plan also includes a gap analysis of existing legislation and a structured transition strategy.
Inter-Island Commitment and Continuity
There is currently a proposal to formalize cooperation with Curaçao through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) focused on innovation and digitalization in education. Additional areas of collaboration include a joint implementation blueprint, coordination at the e-government level, exchange of expertise (including CISO and digitalization units), and potential structural participation in a four-country consultation platform dedicated to innovation and digital transformation.
“This is not merely a technical project, but a transformative movement for the future of education in Aruba. We are investing in knowledge, capacity, and equal opportunities for every child, every school, and every teacher. Together with Curaçao—and eventually Bonaire and Sint Maarten—we can build a regional platform that places our youth at the center of progress and sustainability,” Minister Croes concluded.
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