Minister Gouke Moes visits Bonaire

Minister Gouke Moes (Education, Culture and Science) will visit Bonaire from 4 to 6 November 2025. This visit is under the auspices of the Ministerial Four-Country Consultation OCW (M4LO) and provides an opportunity to get acquainted with the Caribbean part of the Kingdom.

On Tuesday evening, 4 November, Minister Moes will be received by Bonaire's Island Governor John Soliano and Acting Kingdom Representative Jan Helmond. The next day will be devoted to getting acquainted with the Executive Council of Public Entity Bonaire and visits to Kolegio Kristu Bon Wardador primary school and Scholengemeenschap Bonaire, where the minister will talk to teachers, school leaders and students. He will also be given a tour of cultural park Mangazina di Rei.

On the third day of the visit, the Ministerieel Vierlandenoverleg OCW (M4LO) will take place. 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 these consultations.

Participants in the four-country consultations are Minister Gerlien Croes (Kingdom Relations, Education, Youth, Innovation and Sport) of Aruba, Minister Sithree van Heydoorn (Education, Science, Culture and Sport) of Curaçao and Minister Melissa Gumbs (Education, Culture, Youth and Sport) of Sint Maarten.

Topics of the M4LO include the Strategic Education Alliance programme (SEA). This is an important Kingdom-wide programme of the education ministries of Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten and the Netherlands to increase the study success of Caribbean students. It also talks about the “Kibrahacha” partnership. This programme focuses on the joint training of teachers for primary education in Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao. Another topic is the joint nomination procedure for the UNESCO list of Intangible Heritage on behalf of the entire Kingdom.

Finally, the minister will visit Bonaire's new library: Biblioteka Públiko Boneiru.