NON-STATE ACTORS IN EDUCATION
2.2 Non-state education provision
3.1 Regulations by distinct levels of education
- Early childhood care and education (Entry/Establishment ○ Financial operation ○ Quality of teaching and learning ○ Equitable access ○ Quality assurance, monitoring and accountability)
- Primary and secondary education (Entry/Establishment ○ Financial operation ○ Quality of teaching and learning ○ Equitable access ○ Quality assurance, monitoring and accountability)
- Tertiary education (Entry/Establishment ○ Financial operation ○ Quality of teaching and learning ○ Equitable access ○ Quality assurance, monitoring and accountability)
3.3 Supplementary private tutoring
Article 1 of the Compulsory Education Act (Leerplicht Verordening) of 2011 which governs all education levels in Aruba defines a school as an institution “maintained by the country or by a natural or legal person, funded by or on behalf of the country maintained by the country or by a natural or legal person and financed by or on behalf of the Land for pre-primary, primary or secondary education”.
The Basisonderwijs of 1989 amended in 2009 governs basic education in Aruba. The Basic Education Act distinguishes between public schools (maintained by the “Country”) and special schools or ‘Bijzonder onderwijs’ (maintained by a natural person or by a private entity). Under the Dutch system, Bijzonders onderwijs are schools with a specific religious, philosophical or pedagogical basis. Such a school is not run by the government, but by a foundation or association set up by private individuals or ideological bodies, with funding provided by the government.
2.1 State education provision
State schools
The education system in Aruba is grounded in the Nethelrands’ education system. Education is compulsory education from age 4 to 16 . The education system is composed of public, private independent and private government aided schools. Primary education is divided into pre-school education for children aged 4-6 and primary school for children aged 6-12. At the end of the final year of primary education, pupils choose their further secondary education based on the school’s recommendation, the pupil’s marks, and in certain cases a test or exam. Secondary education starts at age 12 and is divided in three types:
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MAVO, (Secondary General Secondary Education) with a duration of 4 years.
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HAVO (Higher General Secondary Education) with a duration of 5 years.
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VWO (Pre-University Education) with a duration of 6 years.
Non-state managed, state schools
No information was found.
Non-state funded, state schools
No information was found.
2.2 Non-state education provision
Independent, non-state schools
Two types of school are recognized by the Department of Education of Aruba: De Schakel Aruba offers Dutch oriented education from kindergarten to secondary school, with Dutch as the primary language of instruction; and international schools which offer English as the primary language of instruction.
International schools offer English as the primary level of instruction. The International School of Aruba was created as a non-profit foundation to ensure the continuation of English-language education in the island. Since 2004, the Board of Directors passed the governance and ownership of the school to the International School Services (ISS), a not-for-profit organization based in Princeton, New Jersey. The school offers a curriculum of a U.S. university preparatory school and with English as the primary language of instruction. Students are enrolled in Montessori through Grade 12 and represent 36 different countries. Households must pay a lump sum at the start of the school year and tuition fees vary according to the education level.
State-funded (government-aided), non-state schools
Non-state government aided schools represent the biggest share of private education in Aruba. They are primarily faith-based schools and include:
- Catholic Education - Stichting Katholiek Onderwijs Aruba (SKOA)
- Protestant Christian Education - Stichting Protestants Christelijk Onderwijs Aruba (SPCOA)
- Foundation for the Adventist mission -Stichting Onderwijs van de Advent Zending Aruba (SOAZA)
- Foundation for gospel teaching - Stichting Volle Evangelie Onderwijs Aruba (SVEOA)
Faith-based schools are predominantly Catholic with 15 schools at the pre-primary level, 26 at the primary level and 5 schools at the secondary level.
Contracted, non-state schools
No information was found.
2.3 Other types of schools
Homeschooling
According to the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), home education is allowed if the family gains exemption per Article 3 § 1, part b, and § 3 of the Compulsory Education Act (Leerplicht Verordening). The Department of Education of Aruba outlines the steps that must be completed to provide home education. A letter must be sent to the Bureau Leerplicht Aruba (and the Compulsory Teaching Office), with a request for the teaching at home. An inspector will then evaluate the content of the teaching program to see if it meets the conditions and will request the contact information of the student. Teaching at home must comply with the compulsory teaching law.
There is no information available on the prevalence of homeschooling in the country.
Market contracted (Voucher schools)
No information was found.
Unregistered/Unrecognised schools
No information was found.
Education in Aruba is governed by the Minister of Education and the Department of Education of Aruba (DEA). School boards are divided into subsidized special school boards which include amongst others the Foundation for basic professional education, the Foundation for Catholic education, the Foundation for secondary education, the Foundation for the Adventist mission, the Foundation for Protestant Christian education and the Foundation for evening education, and Non-subsidized schools which include the Stichting Onderwijs Combina and the International School Services.
Education in Aruba is regulated by the Charter of the Kingdom of The Netherlands, which grants autonomy to Aruba to develop its own internal laws in accordance with Kingdom rules and regulations, however international treaties and conventions are signed by the Netherlands on behalf of the island.
The Compulsory Education Act (Leerplicht Verordening) of 2011 includes provisions for parents to guarantee compulsory education for their children. There are different laws governing different education levels: Kleuteronderwijs (pre-school education), Basisonderwijs (basic education), Voortgezet onderwijs (secondary education) and Hoger onderwijs (higher education).
3.1 Regulations by distinct levels of education
Children aged 4-6 attend pre-primary education in Aruba. According to the 2015 Statistical Yearbook, there were 26 Kindergarten schools in the country. There are two private pre-primary schools in Aruba and 19 government aided schools, of which 15 are Catholic.
The National Ordinance on pre-school (Landsverordening Kleuteronderwijs) of 1992 governs pre-primary education. It includes special provisions for the governance of public nursery schools and special nursery education (bijzonders onderwijs) which have a religious affiliation and are maintained by a natural person or by a private legal entity.
The supervision of early childhood education is entrusted to the Minister and shall be exercised under his orders by the Principal and the Inspector, while the supervision of bijzondere school is entrusted to school boards.
Registration and approval: No information was found.
Licence: No information was found.
Profit-making: Article 35 of the Landsverordening Kleuteronderwijs establishes that special education (bijzonders onderwijs) is under the administration of a foundation or of an association or institution possessing legal personality and whose purpose is to provide education without aiming to make a profit.
Taxes and subsidies: If needed, the request for funding for special schools shall be submitted to the Ministry of Education. By national decree, a special school can become eligible for funding from the public treasury if the need for that school has been sufficiently demonstrated (articles 44 and 45).
Article 58 of the Ordinance establishes that if the school board maintains more than one school for nursery education, the amounts of the reimbursement of the operating costs, granted for each of those schools separately, may be spent for the benefit of the exploitation of those schools jointly.
Quality of teaching and learning
Curriculum and education standards: No information was found regarding the curriculum. However, the Landsverordening Kleuteronderwijs includes provisions related to the language of instruction. The Ordinance establishes that Papiamentu and Dutch shall be used as the language of instruction in public schools. In the case of special (bijzondere) schools, at the request of the school board, a language different than the ones prescribed above can be designated as language of instruction.
Teaching profession: No information was found.
Admission selection and processes: No information was found.
Fee-setting: No information was found.
Policies for vulnerable groups: Article 34 establishes that if within a reasonable distance from the the kindergarteners home there is no opportunity to follow education at a public school, they cannot be refused admission to a (bijzonders onderwijs) state-funded special schools on the grounds of religion or philosophy of life, unless the school is exclusively intended for boarding.
Quality assurance, monitoring and accountability
Reporting requirements: No information was found.
Inspection: No information was found.
Child assessment: No information was found.
Sanctions: A public school shall be abolished and the entitlement to funding for the benefit of a bijzonders onderwijs shall be lost, if it no longer meets a need (article 72).
According to the 2015 Statistical Yearbook, in 2014 there were 38 primary schools in Aruba and 9 schools at the secondary level. In addition, there were 2 high schools and 2 middle schools. 30 of the primary schools were government-aided schools, most of them Catholic (26 in total). At the secondary level, out of the 7 government-aided general secondary schools 5 were Catholic. Private secondary education enrolment accounted for 92% of the total in 2012.
The Basic Education Act (Basisonderwijs) of 1989 amended in 2009 governs basic education in ArubaIt distinguishes between public schools (maintained by the “Country”) and special (bijzondere) schools (maintained by a natural person or by a private entity). The competent authority for public schools is the Minister, while the competent authority for special schools is the school board. Title II includes provisions for the public and publicly funded special education in Aruba.
The National Ordinance for secondary education (Landsverordening voortgezet onderwijs) of 1989 governs secondary education in Aruba. Secondary education is distinguished into:
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preparatory scientific education;
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higher and intermediate general secondary education;
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higher, secondary and lower vocational education.
The Ordinance includes specific provisions for public and publicly funded special school education.
Registration and approval: No information was found.
Licence: As established in Title III of the Basic Education Act (Basisonderwijs) of 1989, basic education may only be given by a person who holds a certificate of competence or any other proof, designated by or pursuant to the National Ordinance, which shows that he is sufficiently qualified for the education to be given by him. A foundation, association or institution may transfer the management of the school only by notarial deed. With this deed, the transferring foundation, association or institution also undertakes to transfer the school buildings, the inventory and the land for the benefit of which it receives compensation and which are its property, and it is stipulated that the acquiring foundation, association or institution shall appoint the principal, the teachers and the other staff referred to in Article 31 to the same positions at the school as they held at that school, starting on the day the new school board acts as such (article 73).
By national decree, a school may lose its entitlement to funding if it is no longer expected to meet a need.
In the case of secondary schools, article 60 of the National Ordinance for Secondary Education (Landsverordening voortgezet onderwijs) of 1989 establishes that applications for the establishment of secondary schools must be sent to the Minister by an association having legal personality. The request shall specify the reasons for the request, the scope and location of the school, the expected number of pupils and a provisional budget of income and expenditures.
Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH): No information was found
Profit-making: Special schools can be under the administration of a foundation or of an association or institution possessing legal personality, which aims to provide education without aiming to make a profit (article 41 of the Basic Education Act).
Taxes and subsidies. An application for funding from the public purse of a special school shall be submitted to the Minister. The application may only be made by a foundation or an association or institution with legal personality as referred to in article 41 of the Basic Education Act. The application shall state the reasons for and the nature, scope and location of the school and shall be accompanied by a forecast of the expected number of pupils and a provisional budget of income and expenditure. Public funding will not be given to schools that have less than 100 students.
For the purpose of calculating the reimbursement of operating costs, the Minister shall, after consulting with the Director and the school boards, determine once every three years all the related costs, including an amount per pupil and per classroom.
The same conditions apply to secondary schools as outlined in articles 61 and 62 of the Landsverordening voortgezet onderwijs of 1989.
Quality of teaching and learning
Curriculum and education standards: No information was found.
Textbooks and learning materials: Government aided schools may receive public funds to acquire textbooks and learning materials.
Teaching profession: No information was found.
Corporal punishment: A Bill amending the Civil Code passed by the Parliament in 2016 prohibited corporal punishment of children in all settings.
Other safety measures and COVID-19: No information was found.
Policies for vulnerable groups: If there is no opportunity for education at a public school within a reasonable distance from the pupil's home, the pupil may not be refused admission to a state-funded special school on the grounds of philosophical considerations, unless the school is exclusively intended for internal pupils according to article 40 of the Basic Education Act (Basisonderwijs) of 1989.
Fee-setting: No information was found.
Admission selection and processes: No information was found.
Quality assurance, monitoring and accountability
School board: School boards are the competent authority for the management and operation of government-aided special schools (bijzondere school). Article 41 of the Basic Education Act establishes that school boards shall ensure proper management of these schools and that the school part cannot form part of the school board. Under article 53, the school board, may submit a request for reimbursement of the estimated costs of the upcoming school year to the Minister. These costs include salaries, the benefits and allowances to which the heads, teachers and other personnel are entitled and the costs of acquiring, founding, converting, rebuilding, maintaining and expanding the school buildings, including the costs of acquiring the land.
Reporting requirements: No information was found.
School inspection: The Director and the Inspector shall ensure, by visiting the schools, that they remain constantly acquainted with the “state of basic education”. The director, the inspector and the Minister shall see to it that the provisions of this National Ordinance and of its implementing regulations are observed. They shall always have access to the schools. The school boards, the heads of the schools and the teachers shall be under the obligation to provide them with all information concerning the school and education that they may desire.
Student assessment: No information was found.
Diplomas and degrees: No information was found.
Sanctions: No information was found.
Aruba has only two tertiary education institutions that are subsidised by the government: the Instituto Pedagogico Arubano (IPA) and the University of Aruba. The IPA, trains students to become teachers at pre-school, primary and secondary education.
The country has several private independent institutions such as the All Saints University of Medicine, Xavier University School of Medicine, Compulearn (IT training), Doc (education and training in the fields of financial administration, management, marketing, and economics) and the Caribbean University. Many students pursue their higher education studies in the Netherlands.
There are several decrees that govern higher education, but most of them refer to the establishment of the University of Aruba, one of the two higher education institutions subsidised by the government.
The National Ordinance for the University of Aruba (Landsverordening Universiteit van Aruba) last modified in 2012, contains provisions regarding the establishment and organization of the University of Aruba setting that the latter has its own legal entity and shall be administered by a board of trustees.
Registration and approval: No information was found.
Licence: No information was found.
Profit-making: No information was found.
Taxes and subsidies: No information was found.
Quality of teaching and learning
Curriculum and education standards: No information was found.
Teaching profession: No information was found.
Fee-setting: No information was found.
Admission selection and processes: No information was found.
Quality assurance, monitoring and accountability
Board: No information was found.
Reporting requirements: No information was found.
Inspection: No information was found.
Assessment: No information was found.
Diplomas and degrees: No information was found.
Sanctions: No information was found.
3.2 Supplementary private tutoring
Several companies and individuals are offering private tutoring in Aruba, in particular language courses. However, there is no evidence of a commercial or education law regulating supplementary private tuition.
No information was found.
Financial operation and quality
No information was found.
No information was found.
