Minister’s claim does not hold up: Sint Aloysius was renovated

ORANJESTAD — Education Minister Gerlien Croes’ claim that “not a single school has been renovated since 2016,” as she stated this week on her Facebook page, does not match the publicly available information. NoticiaCla initially published her statement at face value, given that it came from the minister. Further investigation, however, shows that documentation and publications from 2022 and 2023 confirm that Sint Aloysius School in Noord underwent a major renovation during the Wever-Croes Government.

OVERVIEW

The issue arose after Croes published an overview of the estimated costs needed to address 43 schools in Aruba. According to the minister, the current situation is the result of years of insufficient renovation. In her post, she criticized previous governments and stated that since 2016 no school had been renovated or newly built.

After NoticiaCla published the story, at least one MEP parliamentarian challenged the minister’s statement, indicating that the information was certainly not entirely correct.

INVESTIGATION SUPPORTS OPPOSITION ON THIS POINT

A subsequent NoticiaCla investigation of the public record confirms that Sint Aloysius School was indeed renovated after 2016.

In April 2022, during a Government press conference, then-Education Minister Endy Croes presented the renovation project. The work included renovation of the north and south wings, the library, offices and gymnasium, with an announced investment of approximately Afl. 2 million.

In July 2023, a ministry statement reported that 12 classrooms had been renovated, along with the roof, ceilings and floor tiles in the northern section of the building. New offices, a staff coffee room, library and gymnasium were also built. Two bathrooms were relocated and completely reconstructed.

In August 2023, DOW began the final phase: renovation of the playground, measures to address water problems, leveling of the grounds and new asphalt. After that, the school moved back into its building in Noord. The previous Government itself described the building as “completely renovated.”

That means the literal claim that “not a single school has been renovated since 2016” is incorrect. Sint Aloysius School is a clear and documented counterexample.

RENOVATION IS NOT THE SAME AS NEW CONSTRUCTION

A distinction can be made between renovating an existing building and constructing an entirely new school. Sint Aloysius was not rebuilt from scratch; much of the existing structure was rehabilitated and adapted.

But Croes did not only say that no new schools had been built. She specifically stated that no school had been “renovated.” On that point, the public record directly contradicts her statement.

MAJOR BACKLOG REMAINS A REALITY

The fact that Sint Aloysius was renovated does not mean the opposition has disproved the broader problem. The overview presented by Croes shows major needs at 43 schools and confirms that Aruba faces a serious backlog in maintenance and renovation of school infrastructure.

But two issues need to remain separate: there can be a serious maintenance backlog without making the statement that “not a single school has been renovated since 2016” true.

In addition, the published overview contains a discrepancy of Afl. 36 million. The five subtotals add up to Afl. 173.6 million, while the document lists a general total of Afl. 137.6 million. There has not yet been a public explanation for this difference.

The approximately Afl. 40 million which, according to Croes, Aruba has available annually for all national investments is also a figure cited by the minister, but her publication did not include a budget breakdown showing exactly how that amount was calculated.

CONCLUSION

Minister Croes’ concern about the condition of Aruba’s schools has a basis: the financial need is enormous and many buildings face urgent problems. But her absolute accusation against previous governments went too far.

The available evidence shows that at least Sint Aloysius School underwent extensive renovation between 2022 and 2023. On this specific point, the opposition’s response is correct, and Croes’ statement should be corrected or clarified.