Union accuses Dutch Ministry of violating GvP School statutes, calls intervention “unlawful and colonial”

ORANJESTAD, St. Eustatius — The All For 1 Union has issued a sharply worded statement accusing the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science (OCW) of violating the statutes of the Gwendoline van Putten (GvP) School Foundation by continuing to involve off-island representatives in school affairs.

According to the Union, the Ministry instructed Dutch officials Paul Rosenmöller and Reynolds “Nolly” Oleana to intervene at the secondary school under the premise of “restoring calm.” The Union says the move was carried out without transparency, consultation, or respect for local governance.

The GvP School is managed by the ‘Stichting tot Bevordering Voortgezet Onderwijs op Sint Eustatius’, whose statutes were formally amended and notarized on May 10, 2024. In that amendment, executed before civil law notary Marcia Bouterse, the foundation reaffirmed that every member of the Board of Directors must legally reside on St. Eustatius. The clause clearly states that the board is to consist of at least five and at most seven members, all of whom must be residents of the island.

The Union argues that by continuing to support and empower a board that includes members living outside St. Eustatius, the Ministry is acting in violation of the foundation’s own legal framework. It added that the Ministry has ignored the Island Council, disregarded the concerns of staff and their union, and maintained the current school board and director despite widespread criticism. The Union characterized the intervention as “gross incompetence mixed with arrogance,” claiming that the Ministry attempts to create calm while breaking the very rules that govern the school.

In addition, the Union accused OCW of overriding an earlier motion from the Island Council calling for the dismissal of the current board, describing that action as an abuse of power and evidence of colonial-style decision making. According to the statement, the Ministry cannot speak of restoring order while continuing to ignore the laws that apply to the school. The Union insists that stability will only return when local law is respected and leadership is rooted on the island rather than imposed from a distance.

The organization is calling for full enforcement of the 2024 statute requiring board members to be residents of St. Eustatius, for transparent cooperation between the Ministry, the Island Council, and local stakeholders, and for the removal of any official acting in violation of the foundation’s rules.

Respect

“True stability begins with respect for the law and for the people of this island,” the statement concluded. “The children of St. Eustatius deserve better than decisions made from afar.”

You can read the full AF1 letter here.