News item | 03-11-2025 | 3:00 PM
Minister Gouke Moes (Education, Culture and Science) will visit Bonaire from 4 to 6 November 2025. This visit is dedicated to the Ministerial Four-Country Consultation OCW (M4LO) and offers an opportunity to get to know the Caribbean part of the Kingdom.
On Tuesday evening, November 4, Minister Moes will be received by Governor of Bonaire John Soliano and acting Kingdom Representative Jan Helmond. The next day is devoted to an introduction to the executive council of the Public Entity of Bonaire and visits to the Kolegio Kristu Bon Wardador primary school and the Bonaire School Community, where the minister will talk to teachers, school leaders and students. He will also receive a tour of the Mangazina di Rei cultural park.
The Ministerial Four-Country Consultation OCW (M4LO) will take place on the third day of the visit. Every year, the ministers of education, culture and science of Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten and the Netherlands meet during the M4LO. The Netherlands also represents Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba during this consultation.
Participants in the four-country consultation are Minister Gerlien Croes (Kingdom Relations, Education, Youth, Innovation and Sports) of Aruba, Minister Sithree van Heydoorn (Education, Science, Culture and Sports) of Curaçao and Minister Melissa Gumbs (Education, Culture, Youth and Sports) of Sint Maarten.
Topics of the M4LO include the Strategic Education Alliance program (SEA). This is an important Kingdom-wide program of the education ministries of Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten and the Netherlands to increase the study success of Caribbean students. It will also pass the partnership “Kibrahacha”. This program focuses on jointly training teachers for primary education in Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao. Another topic is the joint nomination procedure for the UNESCO Intangible Heritage List on behalf of the entire Kingdom.
Finally, the minister visits Bonaire’s new library: Biblioteka Públiko Boneiru.