According to information reaching SMN News, several students who applied for study financing and were referred to the University of St. Martin based on an advice from the study financing committee have chosen to disregard the decision of the Government of St. Maarten and decided to travel to the Netherlands on their own expenses to further their education. SMN News has been reliably informed that should this be the case then the Hanze Hogeschool program that has been implemented at USM will be in limbo. However, the only person who could provide real answers to USM and the media is Minister of Education Silveria Jacobs who decided to shun the media and has so far refused to attend press briefings even though she was in her office on Wednesday.
SMN News published an article on Wednesday morning highlighting the predicament facing the students that are scheduled to travel to the Netherlands on Sunday but Minister of Education Silveria Jacobs did not attend the press briefing to provide information on the current situation neither did she respond to the calls made to her by SMN News.
The Minister is yet to provide an update on the appeal cases that were pending, how many students won their appeal, and if they were officially informed of the final decision taken by the Ministry of Education. Even though the Minister and her policy advisor's tickets are secured for the trip to the Netherlands this Sunday, there is no word from the Minister on her itinerary while she is in the Netherlands, neither did she provide any information to the students who attended a meeting on Tuesday afternoon at the A.C. Wathey Legislative Hall. SMN News learnt that the 58 students that are expected to travel to the Netherlands on Sunday received several pieces of information but no information was given to them about their tickets because the tickets were not yet paid for. Finance Minister Roland Tuitt admitted to SMN News on Wednesday during the Council of Ministers' press briefing that late bookings do cost government more monies but the Government of St. Maarten is studying a proposal given to them by Let's Travel where they should open a pre-paid account with the airline to avoid high ticket prices. The Finance Minister also acknowledged that the Government of St. Maarten owes the travel agency a sum of monies and part of the bill was paid last week while government will be making another payment soon. Tuitt refused to release the information as to how much money the government of St. Maarten owes Let's Travel, but he promised to submit that information to SMN News by email.
SMN News also learnt that the former government had no intention of paying Let's Travel now because the bill was somewhere in the vicinity of 30 to 40 million guilders, instead arrangements were made with another well known travel agency to provide the tickets for government. It is not clear if the current coalition government will stick to the agreement made with the other travel agency.
Government plans to cut ties with S4 --- Information not forthcoming.
SMN News also learnt that the Government of St. Maarten will cut all ties with the S4 foundation as of January 2013 since S4 dismissed the director from St. Maarten. Reliable sources said that the government of St. Maarten plans to have the St. Maarten House in the Netherlands handle their student affairs as of next year. However, it is not clear if the Minister of Education will visit the St. Maarten House and the Minister of Plenipotentiary in the Netherlands next week to initiate talks about student affairs or if the current government would retain the services of S4.
School Managers and SG Replacement.
The Minister of Education confirmed during the last press briefing she attended some weeks ago that she has re-opened the application process for school managers but to date the Minister has not released any information on the appointments of these school managers.
Several teachers and supporters of the National Alliance contacted SMN News last week and stated that an advice was made up and sent to the Minister to appoint a male teacher that does not have the required FBE training and does not speak the Dutch language to the position of Interim School Manager at the Martin Luther King School. "The person that has been selected for the position only has a one year residency permit while there are number of local Dutch nationals that applied for these positions." However, the information provided to SMN News could not be confirmed because the Minister did not attend the Council of Minister's press briefing this week.
Another concern that has been raised is the replacement of the Secretary General of the Education Department who is supposed to leave her office by the end of this year as her one year extension is almost up. SMN News understands that the Minister has someone in mind but it is not yet clear when this person will begin her training under the current SG or if the current SG Claudette Labega Foresight will receive another year extension on her contract.