KRALENDIJK – A group of 30 students from the Public Administration, Security Science, Law and European Studies programs of the Haagse Hogeschool visited Bonaire on the 26^th of January last, among others, the Rijksdienst Caribisch Nederland and the acting Kingdom  representative. 

They were received by acting Kingdom  representative Jan Helmond and the director of Rijksdienst Caribisch Nederland, Tim Muller. 

Topics of discussion were the relationship between the European and Caribbean Netherlands and the RCN organization. The group then visited the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND), where unit manager Ingrid Sealy showed them around and talked about migration and its chain approach, among other things. At the Education Culture and Science department (OCW), the students met with unit head Nina den Heyer and talked about the social domain. A visit to the Douane was also on the program. 

The students’ visit to Bonaire is part of the minor study in Kingdom Affairs they are taking in the third year of their studies. 

This study trip is the capstone of that program, introducing them to the practice on which they have also been studying all along. 

The intention is that some of these students will then take up internships on the islands or at one of the Kingdom institutions in the Netherlands. The aim of the program is to prepare students for their positions within Kingdom Relations. This program is the only one in the Netherlands that prepares students to work in positions in Kingdom Relations.