On Sunday, July 9 th , 2023 during my livestream “Sunday Chat” I interviewed a young
man named Elisha Jones, who is currently a student in The Netherlands. He gave us
an idea of real life in The Netherlands, and shared his experiences from when he left
St. Maarten to when he arrived in The Netherlands.
From registration at the Gemeente to finding an apartment, he elaborated on the
expectations and the actual realities; the hard facts and how at times one’s faith is
tested.
I have been preaching to all parents to put your faith in God, and keep praying for
your children. One thing is to encourage your children to pursue further education in
another country, and another matter is to have a serious conversation on the
financial obligations they will be responsible for. Prepare them to handle their affairs
in close consultation with you as parents, and be readily available for your child.
Children are our pride and we want the best for them.
Many people know me for the media coverage I do, and I have gained a lot of
respect for the job I have been doing so far. In this arena I see and know a lot of the
pain and suffering people go through on a daily basis. I know the hardship and
sacrifice that some families make for their children who choose – on their own – to
travel far from home in pursuit of continuing their education.
The insulting words of the Prime Minister to her nation about “helicopter views”
where one can come back to get a job over one who gains their education without
leaving home to further their study, takes the cake.
There is no consideration of our students for the hardship they endure such as:
going sleep hungry; losing their housing, and living with friends; rape; working in the
sex industry to cover costs, just to name a few. Some students fall into depression,
and others are so heavily depressed that they end their life, leaving behind grieving
families and friends.
The Study Financing Team needs to be re-evaluated by seriously looking at its
system, then addressing its failing points due, to among other things, political
friendships. This is causing the study financing system to fail students as they tackle
a new education system abroad. The poor involvement of the St. Maarten House,
when it comes to the students in Holland, also needs to be seriously evaluated.
Every student studying in Holland, and the rest of the EU need to count on St.
Maarten House as a sort of “Embassy,” that they can come to in times of distress.
During my campaign to be elected as Member of Parliament, I will focus on the
Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports. As I said in previous live streams,
my intention to get into politics is not to enrich myself, but to really work on the
structure of the Country so that those who complete their studies can return home to
continue modernizing the structure for the next generation.
I did not get the opportunity to go away to study to advance my education, but the
willingness and the wisdom God gives is sufficient for me and local St. Maarteners to
build a stronger educational structure to produce more professionals here.
I believe that the economical daily life in Holland is not as it was in the 1970s; 80s;
and 90s, as things are becoming more expensive. It’s time that the Government of
St. Maarten start looking at alternative routes to send our students to continue their
tertiary education. I am willing to start pilot projects with different Universities in – for
example – Barbados, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Cuba (yes, Cuba!), and
Colombia.
New options need to be brought to the table, which include new career opportunities.
We need to involve the actual students so we can get insight into the real issues they
encounter. We also need to restructure Study Financing by modernizing their overall
approach with evaluations on adjusting their structure every 5 years, so that this
body can really operate optimally in the benefit of our St. Maarten students.
To make such sweeping changes, I am depending on the voting population to give
my political party (USP) the mandate by voting and electing me to Parliament so we can
make the changes in this Ministry. It’s important that our students understand that
voting for a popular party person will not guarantee a change. However, voting USP /
Wilson Gromyko L.N.V. will guarantee that St. Maarten will see the changes made to
make our Country better.
I urge the Government of St. Maarten to look into the issues that came up in my
interview with Mr. Jones, and make sure that the group of students that will now be
going to Holland don’t experience the same hardships.
I want to encourage all parents to follow my livestream and pay attention to Mr.
Jones; experiences, and to also share it with any student as part of their preparation,
as they depart to pursue their studies.
Gromyko Wilson
“Let’s Elect Wilson Gromyko L.N.V.”
