Study finds St. Maarten slavery history absent from shared exam requirements

A government-commissioned study says St. Maarten’s slavery history is absent from the shared secondary history examination requirements used by St. Maarten and Curaçao. The research was submitted to the Dutch Parliament on Monday 12 October as part of a government update on measures concerning the Netherlands’ slavery past.

According to the study, the requirements adopted jointly in 2019 cover Curaçao’s history of slavery and colonialism, including Tula’s 1795 uprising, but do not contain equivalent requirements on St. Maarten’s history. The researchers said Dutch-language havo and vwo history classes in St. Maarten follow requirements developed for Curaçao, with examinations supplied from that island.

The report, Vergeten Verhalen, Verzwegen Verleden, was prepared by the Verwey-Jonker Institute, Movisie and the University of Aruba. It said One-Tété Lohkay, remembered for escaping enslavement and resisting colonial oppression, has not become a standard part of history education, although students interviewed for the study knew of her and other local history.

The study examined the teaching of anticolonial resistance figures in the European Netherlands and the six Dutch Caribbean islands. It recommended changes to curriculum objectives, updated teaching resources and cooperation among the islands. The Dutch government said it is examining whether the recommendations can be included in future education policy, but announced no decision on implementation in its 12 October update.