The issue of study-financing was the topic of a meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Consultation of the Kingdom IPOK at the First Chamber of the Dutch Parliament on Tuesday. The Inter-Parliamentary workgroup on education had analysed the study-financing system and presented its findings at the meeting.

 

Details and consequences of the social borrowing system, which should replace the current basic Dutch study-financing, are unclear at this stage as the plan is still in the preparatory legislation phase, but the three Dutch Caribbean Parliaments expressed great concern about what's coming. The draft legislation should be handled in the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament by this summer.

Chairman of the Kingdom Relations Committee of Aruba's Parliament Rene Herdé (AVP) warned that the social borrowing system, whereby students will have to borrow money from the Dutch Government to study, will be very harmful for Dutch Caribbean students who come to The Netherlands to study.

 

Member of Aruba's Parliament Marisol Tromp (AVP) explained that students from the islands are already burdened to repay the loan that they receive from the local governments. Taking an additional loan from the Dutch Government will be an additional burden, especially because the Dutch loan will be in euros, which makes it even harder to repay due to the fact that this is a strong currency.

 

"Studying in The Netherlands will in fact become unaffordable. It will become too expensive to return to their island where they earn a salary in the local currency. Fewer educated young professionals will return and this will become worse with the social borrowing system. The result is even more brain-drain than we already face. We need these young professionals to help build our country," said Tromp.

 

Herdé proposed looking for way to solve this problem together in the Kingdom. He said that of course the Dutch Caribbean countries carry the responsibility for their youngsters, but called on The Netherlands to help with a solution, as this would be beneficial for the overall Kingdom. "We are paying, but we don't get our children back," he said. Herdé suggested a joint fund for Dutch Caribbean students to financially assist them. He also proposed making study loan repayments tax-deductible.

 

Member of Curaçao's Parliament Zita Jesus-Leito (PAR) brought up the alarming figures of defaulters in the islands defined in a letter of the Dutch Minister of Education last summer. In total some 19,000 former students have to repay their study loan, of which some 6,550 are registered in the islands. A mere 812 of 3,579 persons in Curaçao are repaying their study loan. In St. Maarten, 420 have to repay, whereas only 94 are doing so.

 

This means that a vast majority of former students who have returned to their island are defaulters. "That means that something is very wrong. We have to solve this together," said Jesus-Leito, who proposed maintaining the basic Dutch study-financing for Dutch Caribbean students. She said that people on the islands are suffering, because they can barely repay their study loans. "It is a huge problem. People simply can't afford it," she said.

 

Support for a joint solution came from Member of the Second Chamber Pierre Heijnen of the Labour Party PvdA. "Believing in the Kingdom is believing in a joint education policy. I call on the governments to solve this together," he said. Member of the First Chamber Nanneke Quik-Schuijt of the Socialist Party (SP) spoke of a "gigantic problem that needs solving."

 

Member of Aruba's Parliament Juan David Yrausquin (AVP) supported Heijnen's call for a joint solution. He said that Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba should also be included "as they face the same problem." President of St. Maarten's Parliament Rodolphe Samuel (NA) expressed his support as well.

 

Member of Aruba's Parliament Andin Bikker (PDR) proposed arranging study-financing for Dutch Caribbean students via Bonaire which has the US Dollar as currency. This would limit the risks of unfavourable currency fluctuations.

 

IPOK Chairman Jeroen Recourt (PvdA) acknowledged that concerns about study-financing and debt repayment were valid. "The future only makes this more worrisome." He proposed requesting that the governments in the Kingdom discuss this matter at the next Kingdom Conference in Aruba later this year and that they start looking into solutions in the meantime. "It is not only about the strengthening of human capital, but also about strengthening the ties in the Kingdom."

 

(The Daily Herald)