PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten – With just 11 days before the 2nd anniversary of the devastation faced by Hurricanes Irma and Maria, Member of Parliament Jacobs questioned why some schools are in the same state of repair as they were in October 2017. This question is based on stories coming from specifically Public Schools. Promises were made that repairs would be made during the Summer of 2019. However, Summer vacation has just been concluded and these repairs have not occurred. Schools were therefor reopened with the same challenges faced upon closure in July. MP Jacobs asked the Minister to explain what the reason for this is, and what will be done to remedy the situation.
Besides the state of repairs of the schools, MP Jacobs heavily questioned the Minister of Education about his stance on Special Needs Education (SNE). She explained that some parents of SNE children have approach her and expressed that they feel forced to pay for private education for their children. Therefore, the MP inquired whether the Minister is aware of these cases and if the Prince Willem Alexander School is overcrowded. Amongst other pertinent questions, MP Jacobs inquire whether it is possible that schools can keep SNE students and receive extra funding to cater to their needs in the regular setting.
Finally, the MP spoke of her worries about students with delinquent behavior, no longer receiving behavior modification training as was envisioned, since she learned that the Education Care Center (ECC) program has been discontinued. She questioned what is being done in place of the ECC program to assist students that face these challenges.
Though these questions are urgent and have been concerns in society in for quite a while now, the Minister of Education was not prepared to answer the questions right away. He informed Parliament that he would return within a week to answer all questioned posed. Since school has already been opened for 2 weeks, it is quite disappointing that these issues haven’t already been tackled by the Minister. However, MP Jacobs hopes for positive news when the Minister returns to Parliament.
