Dr. Marlon Halley (left) with Governor Eugene Holiday (third left) and his wife Marie-Louise (second left) and Halley’s wife Sabine Halley (right).
PELICAN--Dr. Marlon Halley has been decorated as Knight in the Order of Oranje Nassau for his contributions to catholic education in St. Maarten.
He received the honour during a ceremony hosted by Governor Eugene Holiday in celebration of Kings Day at the Royal Ballroom at Simpson Bay Resort and Marina, in Pelican on April 26.
In his remarks at the ceremony, Holiday said Halley has, through his involvement with the Catholic School Board, dedicated a significant part of his life to the advancement of the education of the country’s children.
“During the past 30 years, our island and with that our schools have faced several major challenges because of, among others, Hurricanes Luis (1995) and Irma (2017) and the ongoing COVID pandemic. Dr. Halley has played a significant role in navigating the catholic schools through these challenging periods. Through his dedicated and unselfish volunteer work he has also helped to upgrade and expand catholic education, and to introduce the internationally Baccalaureate Diploma Programme,” Holiday said.
He said Halley has helped to positively influence the lives of many in the country over a prolonged number of years by “creating opportunities with education.
“Our 2022 honouree as such reminds all of us of the importance of education in creating opportunities towards the building of a stronger St. Maarten community. And at the same time serves as a call to all of us to become more involved to make a difference in our community.”
Holiday extended appreciation to the 2022 Royal Decorations recipient for his exemplary service to the community through education.
Holiday started off his remarks by saying that experience has taught him that education is enriching, and it creates opportunities. “It helps us to better understand ourselves, our community, and our world. It is an investment in human capital, that is in acquiring knowledge, information, and skills for our people,” he said.
“The more we invest in our human capital, the greater our chances of achieving our aspirations as individuals, as businesses, as government and as a country. These investments create broad individual and societal benefits and opportunities, such as, a reduction in poverty, an improvement of the health of our people, the stimulation of ideas and innovations, greater, more effective participation in social and democratic processes, greater control of our destiny, and shared values.”
It is therefore not surprising, he notes, that studies show that human capital explains up to two-thirds of income differences across the world. Education is as such the brain food needed to propel our nation forward.
“Hence our continued pursuit of a more just and sustainable society, requires that we – you and I – must continue to educate ourselves and to promote and support the education of our children. If our community does not receive enough of the nourishment it needs, it will fail to flourish. A plant with insufficient water will wither and so will the spirit and mind of our nation without adequate education.”
He continued: “Imagine what our society would be like without the services of our well-trained professionals and volunteers – such as, teachers, nurses, doctors, clergy, policemen, social workers, engineers, environmentalists, and others – who, in so many different ways, work to improve the quality of our lives. The work of these persons, anchored on their training, is the oil that fuels our country’s progress. It is with the knowledge of and appreciation for their valued service to our community that we can look to the future with hope for the further growth of our country. And at the same time use their example to call on others for the necessary expansion of our country’s circle of trained professionals. That is because to optimize our nation’s potential it is imperative that we grow our all-important human capital.”
Every year, persons are recognised for their contributions and achievements during the King’s Day Celebration. They are selected for their prolonged outstanding service to the community.
