ning in 1954 GLO-a schools disappear from official education reports, and simultaneously there is a marked increase in the officially reported number of GLO-b schools and the number of students enrolled in such schools. It would appear that in Curaçao and Aruba those in the regular elementary age bracket (6-12) who are from Dutch-speaking homes generally attend those MULO schools that include instruction in classes, or grades, 1 through 6. MULO schools are not free, but a reduction in fees is made for each child a family has in school.

In the matter of curriculum and instructional materials, it has been recognized by those responsible for educational administration in the Netherlands Antilles-and in Surinam as well-that the adaptation of the system to the local environment is a problem of prime importance. This is so despite the fact that at the 1955 session of the West Indian Conference, which dealt with education, the Netherlands Antilles delegation noted that it could not endorse the Conference recommendation that the Caribbean Commission establish the aforementioned clearing house for information regarding instructional material with Caribbean relevance, because the recommendation was not of importance to the Netherlands Antilles. As noted in the earlier discussion of the situation in the Caribbean area generally, adaptations have been made in recent years in the Netherlands affiliated Caribbean areas with respect to relating teaching and instructional material to the local environment. In the Netherlands Antilles, for example, modifications in the teaching of reading, history, and geography reflect this trend, and the Government has financed the writing of textbooks related to the local scene. The same situation prevails in Surinam.

Generally speaking, the basic subjects taught in the elementary schools of the Netherlands Antilles are laid down in legislation and are those found in the Netherlands, but administrative boards of both public and private schools have a wide degree of freedom in fixing the specific content of the subjects to be taught. Aided private schools within each jurisdiction also have complete liberty in the choice of textbooks and teaching aids.8 The common examinations given by the Antilles Education Ministry at the end of the MULO program, as well as those for entrance to secondary school, tend to bring about a basic unity in curriculum, even though annual promotion in the elementary system schools is in the hands of the school principal.

The same basic subjects are given in the first 6 classes, or grades, of all schools, regardless of whether these are GLO, ULO, or MULO

6 Ibid., p. 756.

7 Caribbean Commission, West Indian Conference, Sixth Session, p. 81. 8 UNESCO, World Survey of Education, II, p. 756.

schools. One manifestation of adapting the curriculum to local needs is the fact that foreign language study begins in the regular elementary grades, because of its importance in the life of the Antilles and the aforementioned fact that the formal education of many students is limited to 6 years. English and Spanish are widely used in the everyday commercial life of Curaçao and Aruba, and their study is generally begun in the 5th and 6th grades, respectively. As noted, in the Netherlands Windward Islands, where the language of instruction in the lower grades is English, Dutch is taught as a foreign language in the elementary schools.

In the 7th and 8th grades of the ULO and MULO schools French and some commercial subjects are added to the curriculum. The MULO schools also include in the 7th through the 10th grades mathematics beyond arithmetic, sciences, typing, shorthand, training for Government positions, and German, which may be substituted for Spanish, though most students take the latter. The MULO program is divided into two principal streams known as MULO-A and MULO-B, plus a special supplementary course in mathematics and physics. The MULO-A program includes in addition to general education subjects, courses in preparation for commercial or government employment. The MULO-B program emphasizes general education with a scientific bent, and it and the supplementary course in mathematics and physics serve, for example, as preparation for further technical training at the special vocational school in Curaçao (discussed below). At the end of the MULO course a common examination for all students in each stream is given by the Netherlands Antilles Ministry of Education to obtain the MULO Diploma. The Diploma is recognized in the Netherlands as the equivalent of that issued to those leaving its MULO schools.

The major function of the MULO schools of Curaçao and Aruba as a source of personnel for commercial and governmental positions is seen in figures for recent years on those completing the MULO programs. A heavy majority took the examinations for the MULOA, or commercial, diploma. The following figures on those completing the 3 programs in given years indicate the trend:

Secondary level

Full secondary education is in its beginning stages in the Netherlands Antilles. According to an official statement of the Netherlands Antilles Government, "during the Second World War it became impossible to continue the practice of sending gifted pupils to Holland to further their studies *** and so secondary education was introduced." In 1946 such education was given in one school on Curaçao to 87 students. One additional school was added by 1950 and a third a year later. Aside from certain facilities for vocational education which are discussed later, these three schools in Curaçao constitute the total number of Dutch-type institutions in the Netherlands Antilles for education at this level. There is also an American-type high school established in 1931 in Aruba by the petroleum refining company primarily for children of its employees. The latter institution, known as the Lago Community School, is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools in the United States.

Of the three secondary schools in Curaçao, one is a coeducational public institution, the ultra-modern Peter Stuyvesant College, and two are government-aided Catholic institutions, the Radulphus College principally for boys and the Maria Immaculata College for girls. Combined enrollment figures for these three schools since 1951 are as follows:

For the last 2 of these years the breakdown of the total enrollment by institution and sex is as follows:

9 "The Social and Economic Background of the Problem," Education Generally and in Relation to Economic and Community Development, op. cit., p. 8.

Entrance to these schools is by examination given by the Antilles Ministry of Education on completion of regular elementary education (6 or 7 years of schooling), and fees are charged. These schools give several different programs of study which are the counterparts of programs offered in various types of secondary level schools in the Netherlands. There are three types of 5-year Higher Burger School (Hogere Burgerschool) programs, designated in abbreviation as H.B.S.-A, H.B.S.-B, and H.B.S.-C. Program A is given in the Language and Economics section or department of the secondary school. It emphasizes modern languages and commercial subjects and is generally regarded in the Netherlands Antilles as terminal, preparing for office positions. Program B offers concentration in sciences and mathematics and is generally regarded as university-preparatory for medicine, engineering, and scientific specializations. Program C is a general education-pedagogical course intended primarily for those who plan to teach in elementary schools and is followed by an additional 1-year course in teacher preparation; the combined 6-year program was stated in 1957-58 to offer the same subjects as those given in the longer program of a Netherlands teacher-training institution, or Kweekschool.

In addition to the Higher Burger School Programs, there have been a 5-year program of the Higher Commercial School (Hogere Handelschool, abbreviated as H.H.S.) and a 5-year special Secondary School Program for Girls (Middlebaar Meisjeschool, abbreviated as M.M.S.). The former has emphasized business-preparatory training and the latter home economics preparation for girls. In 1958-59 the Government secondary school confined its programs to the Higher Burger School Programs A, B, and C. The other two types of programs have been offered only at the Catholic institutions, along with Higher Burger School programs.

The following figures indicate the approximate numbers who have completed the final examinations in these programs for selected years from 1946 to 1957:10

10 These figures are compiled on the basis of statistics supplied in the aforementioned Statistisch Jaarboek, 1957 and "Algemeen Overzicht." There are discrepancies in some cases in the two sources on statistics for the same year, and the figures given here represent an effort to reconcile these discrepancies. In some cases statistics appear to be missing. Though perhaps not completely accurate, it is believed the figures as compiled here portray the general situation.

These figures indicate that the numbers of those completing a full secondary education have shown a marked percentage increase since the late 1940's and early 1950's. At the same time they show that the total numbers for the most recent years given are modest in themselves and in comparison with the previously listed figures on total enrollments in the three secondary schools.

Vocational Training

The development of vocational education is in its beginning stages and is generally regarded by Government education leaders as one of the principal needs of the area. In the Netherlands Antilles, as elsewhere in the Caribbean area, one obstacle has been a popular preference for office and white-collar employment; and, as has been seen, education for such positions in business and government takes place in ULO, MULO, and full secondary schools. However, the increased demands for mechanical and trade skills of various kinds resulting from general economic development, particularly in Curaçao and Aruba, has expanded employment opportunities for those with such skills.

Regular vocational schools for boys increased in number from one in Curaçao in 1938 to three by the early 1950's, with the addition of such schools in Aruba and Bonaire. The school in Curaçao is a Catholic institution, while those in the other two mentioned islands are public. Students from the Netherlands Windward Islands may compete for scholarships to attend these schools. The enrollment in them grew from 193 in 1946 in the one school on Curaçao, to 899 in all three schools in the school year 1957-58. The programs of instruction in these schools are generally 3 years in length and require for admission the completion of 6 years of elementary education. The various skills in which instruction is given are shown in the breakdown of final examination fields for vocational school diplomas in recent years. Figures for Curaçao and Aruba for the year 1956 indicate, for example, that a total of 108 diplomas were granted in that year, divided as follows: machine bench hand, 26; motor mechanic, 40; electrician, 22; and carpenter, 20.

Generally included also in official statistics and information on government supported vocational education are 4 Catholic girls' schools offering specialization in home economics, which have been established in Aruba beginning in 1955. In the school year 1957-58 the total enrollment in these schools was 118.

The most advanced vocational education available in the Netherlands Antilles is given by schools of the petroleum companies in Curaçao and Aruba, in preparation for employment in their respective refining establishments. That of the aforementioned Curaçao