News item | 09-06-2023 | 4:15 pm
The Netherlands and Suriname are starting a two-year partnership for better education. Robbert Dijkgraaf, Minister of Education, Culture and Science, and the Surinamese Minister Henry Ori, of Education, Science and Culture have just signed the joint education agenda. Next week, Minister Ori will be in the Netherlands, where he will also confirm the cooperation with Minister Dennis Wiersma (Primary and Secondary Education).
Dijkgraaf: “I am proud of this collaboration. As countries, we can learn from each other and that is the basis for this joint educational cooperation. For example, we see that many Dutch students want to do an internship in Suriname and vice versa. We want to make that much more possible and at the same time look at how we can help strengthen Surinamese education with the knowledge and skills we have in-house.”
Education agenda
The cooperation on education follows the government’s wish to strengthen ties with Suriname. In the past year, the needs, substantive priorities and possibilities for cooperation have been explored. This has resulted in an education agenda with four priorities 1) strengthening legislation and regulations in Suriname, 2) exchange between Dutch and Surinamese ministries and inspection for knowledge transfer, 3) strengthening primary and secondary education and 4) better connection to the labor market and development and retention of talent in Suriname. Today marks the start of the official collaboration. Over the next two years, on the basis of the priorities from the education agenda, a working group from both ministries will continue to work on concrete projects, such as linking educational institutions.
Connection to the labor market
In the collaboration, specific attention is paid to improving the connection between education and the labor market and retaining talent in Suriname. There is a great need for technically trained professionals in Suriname. Internships and short-term exchanges with the Netherlands can be a good way to gain work experience and practical skills. At the same time, training must also connect to the world of tomorrow. Minister Dijkgraaf visits the Polytechnical College in Paramaribo, which focuses on vocational technical training, to hear how this connection is being sought in Suriname. In turn, during his visit to the Netherlands next week, Minister Ori will visit the Zadkine college in Rotterdam to hear how education and the sector work together.