OLB opens temporary school location to address shortage of educational places

KRALENDIJK – The shortage of educational places on Bonaire is to be partially addressed from the new school year with a temporary school location on Kaya Amsterdam. This was announced by the Public Entity Bonaire (OLB). The OLB, OCW Caribbean Region (OCW CG) and school boards have reached agreements on this following consultations in the spring of 2026.

The temporary location is intended to provide education to more pupils who are currently staying at home or have not yet found a suitable educational place. According to the OLB, the facility will remain in use until the end of the 2026–2027 school year at the latest. In the meantime, the parties involved are working on structural solutions to the shortage of educational places.

According to the OLB, the Kaya Amsterdam location will be set up as a school location in cooperation with OCW CG. All school boards were involved in the discussions about the use of the location and were given the opportunity to take on its management and educational organisation. Primary school Het Koraal has indicated that it is willing to fulfil that role.

By temporarily using the Kaya Amsterdam location, additional space becomes available at the current location of Primary School Het Koraal. This allows more pupils to find a suitable educational place. According to the OLB, the temporary expansion forms part of a broader joint approach to reduce pressure on the education system, while structural solutions for the future are being developed.

Children out of school

An important goal of the temporary expansion is to reduce the number of pupils staying at home because they have no school place. The starting point is that all such pupils will be able to enrol in education at the start of the new school year.

The compulsory education authority has recently mapped out the educational options for each pupil and contacted parents. Where necessary, parents and schools have been brought into contact with each other to ensure that pupils can start at a suitable educational place as soon as possible.

Appeal to parents

Parents of children who do not yet have an educational place are requested to contact the school of their choice or to register with Primary School Het Koraal. On this basis, the required capacity can be determined and a suitable place for the new school year can be sought.

The OLB, OCW CG and the school boards say they will continue to work together in the coming period on sustainable solutions, so that every child on Bonaire has access to suitable education.