PHILIPSBURG, SINT MAARTEN — The Sint Maarten National Commission for UNESCO is proud to announce that Mr. Marvio Cooks and Mr. Marcus Nicolaas have successfully completed the Digital Talent for Educational Transformation and Innovation Diploma Course, developed under the framework of the Regional Alliance for Educational Transformation and Innovation (ARTIE) by UNESCO’s International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP-UNESCO), in collaboration with the UNESCO Regional Office in Santiago and the UNESCO Office for Latin America and the Caribbean.
The Diploma programme was launched as part of a series of open ARTIE events designed to train strategic leaders in digital policy development and implementation. The course provided participants with a comprehensive overview of regional digital education policies and UNESCO’s key reference frameworks, while addressing the challenges and opportunities that digital transformation presents across Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC).
Marcellia Henry, Secretary-General of the Sint Maarten National Commission for UNESCO, stated:
“The completion of the Digital Talent for Educational Transformation and Innovation Diploma positions Sint Maarten as an active contributor to regional dialogue and cooperation on digital education policy. Through coordination with UNESCO and ARTIE, the country continues to strengthen its institutional capacity, policy coherence, and innovation leadership.”
Feedback provided by the participants reflects the impact and relevance of the programme.
Marvio Cooks, Policy Advisor at the Cabinet of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport (ECYS), underscored the strategic importance of institutionalizing digital transformation:
“This course has provided the essential framework to shift our educational paradigm from fragmented, short-term technology projects to the establishment of digital education as a permanent, sustainable national infrastructure. By grounding the National AI in Education Policy (NAIEP) in the UNESCO Six Pillars, we are moving beyond the ‘investment-abandonment cycle’ of the past and toward a future defined by institutional capacity and data-driven governance.
As a civil servant leading this transformation, the completion of this course is a critical milestone; it ensures that our strategy for Sint Maarten is not just about adopting technology, but about empowering our teachers and students to become successful global citizens in an increasingly digital world.”
Marcus Nicolaas, ICT Teacher at Milton Peters College and ICT Representative of the Sint Maarten National Commission for UNESCO, highlighted the programme’s relevance to Small Island Developing States (SIDS):
“The training programme was particularly meaningful because it directly resonated with the realities of Sint Maarten and the wider Caribbean–Latin American region. As a Small Island Developing State with complex socio-economic and governance dynamics, Sint Maarten requires education planning approaches that are technically sound, financially feasible, and deeply contextualized. The Diploma excelled in fostering collaborative engagement among regional policymakers, allowing us to address shared challenges such as limited fiscal space, human-resource constraints, migration, language diversity, and social inequality, while respecting national differences.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Course Supervisor Fernando Salvatierra, whose one-on-one guidance was instrumental in translating theory into practice. The programme culminated in the development of a tangible, implementable policy document firmly grounded in the Sint Maarten context. This experience has significantly strengthened my capacity to contribute to systemic educational transformation.”
The Sint Maarten National Commission for UNESCO looks forward to supporting the participation of additional national representatives in future regional training initiatives. Mr. Cooks and Mr. Nicolaas are available to share their knowledge and experiences to further strengthen digital transformation efforts within the education sector.
