Aside from the lack of transparency in the bidding process, Eduard Pieters took advantage of Minister Gerlien Croes’ presence in Parliament to question the lack of a Landsverordening Beroepsonderwijs (National Ordinance on Vocational Education). According to Pieters, it is “unacceptable” that in the 21st century, schools like EPB and EPI still have to fall under old laws designed for MAVO, HAVO, and VWO.
“General education cannot be compared to vocational education. Vocational education has its own dynamism and requires its own separate management and legislation,” Pieters explained. He emphasized that the absence of this law hinders the Education Inspectorate’s ability to exercise proper control over the quality of education our youth receive.
Legislative Delay Still Persists After More Than One Year in Office
A point that drew attention in the PPA leader’s dissertation was the length of time this process has been ongoing. According to Pieters, work on this law began back in 2018. However, eight years later, the draft has still not reached the floor of Parliament for proper debate and approval.
Pieters demanded an explanation from the Minister regarding why this legal process remains stuck. For the PPA, this law is not simply a piece of paper, but the foundation or the “randvoorwaarden” (necessary conditions) to guarantee quality education in Aruba.
Lost Opportunities for Debate
The faction leader also lamented that it is difficult to get Minister Croes to Parliament to account for these topics. The Minister’s visit regarding the bidding issue was used by the PPA as an opportunity to bring these concerns forward, seeing as, according to the MP, the Minister does not frequently show up to answer crucial questions about the quality of our educational system.
“If you don’t have the law, you don’t have the instruments to control quality. And without quality, we are playing with the future of our EPB and EPI students,” Pieters concluded.