Willemstad/Philipsburg – The Centrale Bank van Curaçao en Sint Maarten (CBCS) announces the kick-off of the fourth edition of the Best Economic Research Award (BERA) at HAVO and VWO level. Final-year students from all HAVO and VWO schools in Curaçao and Sint Maarten are invited to submit an economic research paper on a topic that is relevant for the economies of the monetary union. The CBCS will award both the winning student(s) and school(s) an attractive prize. In the first quarter of 2024, the CBCS will launch the BERA for students on the Bachelor and Master level.
The BERA’s goal is to promote economic research among youngsters in Curaçao and Sint Maarten. In addition, the CBCS hopes to inspire HAVO and VWO students to choose a study in the field of economics through this program. Hence, the winners of the competition on HAVO and VWO levels will each receive a prize of NAf. 2,500 and a trophy, while the winning school in each category will receive a prize of NAf 5,000 and a trophy.
“Over the years, we have seen an increase in the number of participating students and schools while the quality of the entries has improved substantially. Last year, both students and teachers embraced the competition. This is exactly what we aim for,” says Executive Director Dr. José Jardim.
To encourage the participation of the students, the CBCS recently met with teachers of the HAVO and VWO schools in Curaçao and Sint Maarten to receive their feedback and input on this program and to align timelines. In the coming weeks, information sessions will be held at the secondary schools in Curaçao and Sint Maarten to motivate students to participate in the competition.
For more information on the rules of the competition, including participation and evaluation criteria, please visit www.centralbank.cw/education/best-paper-award.
