WILLEMSTAD – A recent study by SEO Economic Research has raised alarm over significant inequalities in Curaçao’s education system, questioning whether all children truly have the same opportunities to succeed. The findings, presented to the Minister of Education in January 2025, highlight structural issues that disproportionately disadvantage students from poorer neighborhoods. 

According to the report, several key problems contribute to unequal educational opportunities: 

Marked quality differences between primary schools; 

Selective student admissions, with some schools choosing which pupils they accept; 

Teacher shortages leading to disparities in school performance across different neighborhoods; 

Funding mechanisms that favor schools in wealthier areas; 

Lack of adequate basic facilities in some schools, particularly in poorer districts; 

Curricula and teaching approaches that fail to address the needs of children from lower socio-economic backgrounds, causing them to fall behind. 

The report emphasizes that education should be the main tool to reduce the gap between rich and poor by giving all children equal opportunities for development. However, statistics from the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) show that 41.8% of Curaçao’s population lives at or just above the poverty line—a group the current education system largely overlooks. 

HAVO Results Show Stark Performance Gap 

The disparity is clearly reflected in 2025 HAVO exam results: 

MIL HAVO – 57% pass rate 

Radulphus College HAVO – 93.3% pass rate 

VPCO HAVO – 92.6% pass rate 

This represents a performance gap of at least 35 percentage points between MIL HAVO and the other two schools—an “unacceptably large” difference, according to the report, that demands explanation. 

A Call for Immediate Action 

Researchers warn that unless practical and concrete measures are taken to close the gap between students from vulnerable families and those from wealthier backgrounds, the education system will continue to deepen inequality instead of reducing it. 

“If nothing changes,” the report states, “education in Curaçao will not be the great equalizer it should be. Instead, it will widen the divide between rich and poor in our community.”