ABOUT SEA
A bright future for Caribbean students
SEA arose from one common ambition: equal opportunities for Caribbean students within the Kingdom.
In 2020, studies showed that Caribbean students in Dutch higher education face structural obstacles. The four ministers of education of the Kingdom decided to take action together. This led to the establishment of the Strategic Education Alliance (SEA), after a Kingdom-wide working conference in which concrete improvement agreements were made.
Since 2023, SEA has been working as a multi-year program (until 2028) on sustainable cooperation between the islands and the Netherlands. At a strategic level, we strengthen the preconditions for success in education, careers and the labor market.
What we do
SEA is committed to increasing opportunities for both young people and adults from the Caribbean islands who want to develop themselves within secondary/secondary vocational education MBO/SBO), higher vocational education (HBO) and university education (WO). We put their interests first; their future opportunities are the starting point. We therefore promote conditions in which Caribbean talent also gets the opportunities it deserves on the islands. Stopping a talent exodus from the islands is also an important goal.
The way we do it
SEA is committed to a sustainable, comprehensive and long-term approach. This provides a solid foundation and promotes learning and development for everyone involved. At SEA, we don’t just work on projects, but we also build a powerful network of people who are committed. This network is the basis for current and future cooperation, makes it easy for newcomers to connect, and promotes a culture of mutual respect and learning from each other.
Priorities
Ministers agreed to start implementing the following priorities:
Kingdom Scholarship
Strengthening the link
between education and the labor market
Development of an Academic Progress Monitor
Needs Assessment for the Caribbean Foundation Year in Bonaire
Caribbean
Network of Deans
Providing information to students, parents, educational institutions, and stakeholders
Further Development of the Caribbean Foundation Year in Sint Maarten,
Saba, and Sint Eustatius
Strengthening cooperation
between Caribbean and European
educational and research institutions
Core values of SEA
We create equal opportunities for Caribbean students by strengthening sustainable cooperation between the islands and the Netherlands.
We identify, at a strategic level, the conditions necessary for their success—in their careers, education, the labor market, and society.
Equal opportunities
We create fair and meaningful opportunities for Caribbean students to grow and improve their well-being, regardless of their background or starting point.
Focus on Caribbean students
We place the diversity, needs, and aspirations of Caribbean students at the heart of everything we do, across the various stages of life and contexts in which they develop—from prospective students and those returning to education to Caribbean students living on or off the island, as well as lifelong learners.
Long-term partnership
We are working to build equitable and meaningful partnerships among Caribbean islands and with the Netherlands, in which stakeholders make a sustained contribution to the development and well-being of Caribbean students.
Strategic management
We provide direction by articulating a shared vision, ambitions, and priorities that contribute to the conditions necessary for the success of Caribbean students.
Strong conditions
We create and strengthen the conditions that contribute to the long-term success of Caribbean students.
Succesvol ontwikkelen
We help Caribbean students achieve their personal goals in education, their careers, the job market, and society.
History of SEA
In 2020, several studies examined the academic success of Caribbean students in Dutch higher education. The findings and recommendations from these studies form the basis of the program.
The four education ministers of the Kingdom jointly decided to take action. In early 2021, they established the Steering Group on Academic Success for Caribbean Students. This group consisted of representatives from educational institutions (universities, universities of applied sciences, and vocational colleges) and government bodies from Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Maarten, and the Netherlands. The group worked to facilitate a smoother transition for Caribbean students to higher education, both within the region and internationally.
A major milestone was the working conference held in September 2022 at the University of Aruba. For the first time, all participating islands and the Netherlands came together to discuss the academic success of Caribbean students. This meeting yielded concrete proposals for improvement, which were outlined in the final conclusions, and marked the launch of the Strategic Education Alliance (SEA).
Under the direction of the Kingdom’s ministers of education, SEA is working to improve academic success among Caribbean students. During follow-up consultations in January 2023, they therefore decided to strengthen SEA. This resulted in a multi-year program that runs through January 2027.
A nationwide program team will implement the ministers’ recommendations and proposals. An advisory committee will replace the original steering group. Its mandate is to advise the Ministerial Four-Country Consultation on Education regarding the development and progress of SEA.
