Kralendijk- In order to deal with the debt problems, the Minister of Education, Culture and Science has decided that the ex-students in the Caribbean Netherlands could be eligible for an one-time, customized payment scheme. All ex-students with payment arrears, of which DUO has an address in the Caribbean Netherlands, are offered a payment arrangement for this.

In order to qualify for the arrangement, a request for reduction of the monthly amount should be submitted no later than May 5th, 2018. The request can be made by submitting a so-called capacity measurement. The form for requesting a reduction of the monthly amount can be found on the website www.duo.nl/antillen.

If the capacity measurement shows that the former student cannot pay off, DUO will immediately recover the payment arrears from the bailiff.

Some 1,000 ex-students live in the Caribbean Netherlands and have received student grants from the Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs (DUO) in the Netherlands. They were often insufficiently aware of the repayment possibilities of their student debt. Some therefore had to deal with a bailiff.

If people doubt whether DUO has the right address, they can send an e-mail to antillen@duo.nl for safety reasons, stating:
• First and last name
• Date of birth
• Address
• Phone number