Most students at our school follow the Aruban curriculum and prepare for the Aruban final exams. The school has been receiving, since August 1
2020, subsidy from the Aruban Government and has become more accessible. In the coming years, the number of students will gradually increase to approximately 425 students. The Aruban education inspectorate supervises our education.
There is also a group of students at our school for whom the connection with the Dutch curriculum remains important. They often flow in and/or remigrate after school back to the Netherlands. For the final exam at Havo and Vwo level, they can choose the Dutch State exams.
The school has organized the expertise and experience on how to move between school systems to ensure a smooth transition. The Dutch stream is affiliated with the NOB Foundation (Dutch Education Abroad) and therefore falls under the supervision of the Dutch education inspectorate.
We started with TTO in the schoolyear 20202-2021. A Bilingual Education Program focused on Dutch and English with extended attention for other languages at school.
We are developing a TTO-model for our school that best matches the language background of our students. It therefore has, in parts, a different form than the TTO-model in Dutch. Dutch remains the main instructional language at school, as Aruba’s final exams and state exams are held in Dutch.
TTO focuses on:
● Language proficiency – high level of English (measurable)
● Global Citizenship – open and broad view of the world (demonstrable)
● Personal development – a self-confident and responsible attitude and balanced judgment about unknown matters (noticeable)
At the Schakel College, all students follow TTO.
The population at the Schakel College is diverse, just like all other schools on the island. People often think of the former image, a Dutch school with all Dutch children, but that is no longer the case. It is now a school where 80% of the students were born in Aruba.
