Also this year, it is possible again for institutions in the Caribbean Netherlands to sub­mit subsidy requests for the “Tel mee met Taal” (“Count on Skills”) programme of the Ministries of Education, Culture and Science OCW, Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations BZK, Social Affairs and Employment SZW and Public Health, Welfare and Sport VWS.

The objective of this programme is to ensure that as many people as possible have sufficient basic skills to fully participate in the community. This concerns basic skills such as reading, writing, arithmetic and digital skills.

The subsidy can be applied for by employers, social or­ganisations, institutions such as schools, pre-school and after-school care organisations, educational care centres, providers of second-chance education, libraries and de­partments of the public entities Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba, whose clients— for example, parents— are faced with illiteracy, low literacy or arrears in arithmetic and digital skills at a basic level.

A special budget has been reserved for applications from the Caribbean Netherlands.

The Count on Skills subsidy can be used for activities such as courses or additional lessons, given in Papiamen­tu or English, as long as it concerns the development of literacy and numeracy and digital skills at a basic level. These funds can also be used to promote or market activi­ties among potential students. The application deadline is February 28.

The Daily Herald.