KRALENDIJK – The popular program Sterk Techniek Onderwijs (STO) on Bonaire continues. Due to the success of the past few years, the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science has decided to allocate additional funding. This means the program can now continue on a permanent basis. On Thursday, September 26th, elementary schools, SGB (Stichting Scholengemeenschap Bonaire), the ROA (de Raad Onderwijs Arbeidsmarkt), and the Public Entity signed a new cooperation agreement for this purpose.

The aim of STO is to get more children excited about technology. “In recent years, we’ve introduced many children to technology, and we want to keep doing so,” says Rico van der Schee, vice-chairman of the Bonaire School Community (SGB).

Through the program, children are exposed to technology from an early age. The hope is that they will later choose a technical education in secondary school or vocational training. Elton Johnson, program leader of STO on Bonaire, sees that it works: “The children are very enthusiastic. They learn to collaborate, calculate, measure, and think logically through play.”

With the new financial support, STO can continue to contribute to the future of technical education on Bonaire.