The Therapy (Part 2)

The Therapy (Part 2)

23 July 2026

Yesterday I wrote that, from now on, I want to spend more time discussing solutions. By now, we know the diagnosis well enough. That does not mean I will stop writing about problems altogether. But in the end, a society benefits more from a good therapy than from an endless diagnosis.

Yesterday I suggested that the technology sector could become one of the pillars of Curaçao’s future economy. Almost immediately, however, I ran into the most important prerequisite: the quality of our human capital.

I referred to figures showing that around 60 percent of our population has completed no more than lower vocational education or secondary vocational education. Last night I received the first results of the CBS Social Survey 2025, and this morning I saw the same figures reported in the Antilliaans Dagblad. According to the CBS, 20.3 percent of the population completed lower vocational education (LBO level 2), while another 17.7 percent completed secondary vocational education (SBO levels 2–4). Only a relatively small share of the population holds a bachelor’s or master’s degree. These findings confirm what many already suspected: the educational level of our workforce is one of Curaçao’s greatest challenges.

This is not a criticism of the population. It is a societal challenge.

If we study countries that have achieved sustainable economic development—Singapore, South Korea, Ireland, Estonia, and many others—we find the same pattern. They invested heavily in education, knowledge, and skills. Economic transformation begins with human capital. Without a well-educated workforce, even the most ambitious economic strategy will eventually stall.

This is precisely where Curaçao faces its greatest obstacle. We continue to diagnose the decline of our education system, while meaningful improvement becomes increasingly difficult. We face a severe teacher shortage. Many teachers are overworked, exhausted, and insufficiently valued. Under those conditions, structural improvement is extremely hard to achieve.

As I write this, I read that the government has adopted a Spatial-Economic Strategy 2040. The strategy focuses on renewable energy, local food production, high-quality tourism, and the revitalization of downtown Willemstad. The aim is to better align economic development with the island’s limited space.

These are understandable priorities. Yet I cannot help feeling that, once again, the emphasis is primarily on the physical economy rather than the institutional economy.

Who will implement these ambitions?

Where is the strategy for education? Where is the long-term vision for human capital? Where is the strategy for good governance, public sector capacity, and institutional effectiveness? Without these foundations, spatial plans, economic visions, and investment programs risk remaining little more than well-written documents.

There is another concern. Although the strategy includes renewable energy and local food production, tourism once again remains the dominant economic engine. In effect, we continue to strengthen our tourism-dependent mono-economy, while what Curaçao truly needs is greater economic diversification to reduce its vulnerability to external shocks.

A Vision 2040 is important. But a vision without investments in people and institutions is like building a beautiful house without a foundation.

Perhaps that is the real therapy for Curaçao: investing not only in roads, buildings, and tourism, but equally in education, knowledge, and good governance.

Because in the end, the greatest wealth of any nation is not its infrastructure—it is its people.

Miguel Goede