~ECYS Minister says emotionally unwell adults cannot teach children emotional intelligence; calls for stronger parenting and community accountability.~
PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport Melissa Gumbs has acknowledged that Sint Maarten faces a shortage of psychologists who can address the mental-health needs of children and teenagers, as renewed concerns emerge over minors becoming involved in criminal activity.
Speaking during Wednesday’s Council of Ministers press briefing, Gumbs addressed questions about the support available to young people following the recent break-ins at Festival Village, in which several minors were implicated.
The parents of the minors reportedly recognized their children in circulated surveillance footage and brought them to the police station.
Gumbs praised the parents for holding their children accountable but admitted that the country’s support system remains limited.
“We do have a deficit in terms of psychologists that can address youth matters and youth needs,” Gumbs said, noting that child psychology and child psychiatry require specialized areas of study.
Support Available, but Capacity Remains Limited
The minister said the Student Support Services Division (SSSD) can provide counseling and further assistance when students are referred for support.
Other institutions, including the Court of Guardianship, may also become involved depending on the circumstances.
However, Gumbs cautioned against automatically concluding that every case of misconduct by a minor is caused by trauma.
She said authorities must distinguish between children acting out because of underlying social or psychological problems and teenagers engaging in misconduct because they are bored or making irresponsible choices.
The minister also rejected attempts to place responsibility for night-time criminal activity on school attendance officials.
“Crime at night has nothing to do with the Inspectorate of Education, and it has nothing to do with truancy,” Gumbs stated.
Her comments highlight the limits of the education system’s authority once students leave school grounds, while also raising questions about whether sufficient community-based programs, counseling services and recreational opportunities are available outside school hours.
Minister praises parents who turned in their children
Gumbs commended the parents who brought their children to the police after recognizing them in the surveillance footage.
“I think that’s an important thing that has to happen moving forward,” she said.
“Too often we hear, you know, ‘snitches get stitches’ or whatever, but it’s not about that. It’s about holding everyone accountable as a community.”
The minister said those parents' actions showed the responsibility families must accept when children become involved in wrongdoing.
ECYS and the Ministry of Justice have attempted to direct funding toward initiatives such as Sports Unite, while Marines recently conducted a boot-camp-style programme involving students from the Sint Maarten Vocational Training School.
Gumbs acknowledged, however, that these initiatives will not reach every young person.
“Sometimes those things are not always going to get through to young people,” she said.
“Emotionally Unwell Adults Cannot Teach Children Emotional Intelligence”
The minister also addressed whether emotional intelligence should be incorporated more directly into the education system.
Gumbs said the ministry would like to strengthen that area, but explained that secondary-school curricula, including programmes governed by the Caribbean Examinations Council, cannot always be changed locally without further consideration.
She then delivered a pointed warning about the emotional condition of the adults responsible for guiding children.
“If we don’t have emotionally intelligent adults, we cannot have emotionally intelligent children,” Gumbs said.
She argued that teachers must first become more emotionally aware and properly sensitized before they can effectively teach those skills to students.
The minister referred to previous UNICEF findings indicating that young people want more attention placed on their mental health. However, she said children’s well-being cannot be separated from that of the adults responsible for raising and educating them.
“If you have adults that are not mentally well, they cannot teach children emotional intelligence,” Gumbs stated.
She said ECYS is working with the ministries of VSA and Justice to address the issue through several platforms.
A Warning Sint Maarten cannot ignore
The minister’s acknowledgment exposes a serious weakness in Sint Maarten’s support system: young people are being urged to seek help while the country lacks enough specialized professionals to provide it.
Counseling referrals and youth programs are important, but they cannot replace qualified child psychologists, child psychiatrists, and sustained family support.
The Festival Village case has shown that responsible parents can make difficult decisions and hold their children accountable. The government must now demonstrate the same level of responsibility by confronting the shortage of youth mental-health professionals and establishing a coordinated plan to reach vulnerable children before misconduct escalates into serious criminal behavior.
Without that intervention, Sint Maarten risks continuing to respond after young people enter the justice system, rather than addressing warning signs before they arrive.
