Paramaribo, Suriname – April 16, 2026 – A historic leadership transition has taken place at the Federation of Organizations of Teachers in Suriname (FOLS), where long-serving president Marcellino Nerkust has officially handed over the gavel to newly elected leader Bernice Barron following the organization’s annual board election.
Nerkust announced his decision not to seek re-election after more than two decades at the helm of the country’s leading teachers’ advocacy group, choosing to make way for a new generation of leadership after guiding FOLS since August 2005. His tenure officially concluded on April 15, 2026, with the election held at the COB training and conference center. Barron defeated a small field of other candidates to win a three-year term as FOLS president, serving through 2029.
Though Nerkust had already been officially retired for five years, he said his choice to step down now comes as he has reached full pensionable age and completed what he considers a full contribution to Suriname’s teachers and education sector. “It is time now for the young generation to take the lead,” Nerkust said in remarks after the election.
The leadership election proceeded smoothly, aligned with updated organizational bylaws that came into force earlier this year. Those bylaws, which were formally published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Suriname on February 7, 2025, outline direct in-office election of the FOLS presidency, a framework that guided this week’s vote.
Looking back on his 21-year tenure, Nerkust reflected on a period marked by persistent challenges, but also counted a series of landmark wins for Suriname’s teaching community. During his leadership, FOLS secured the introduction of the FISO 1 and 2 salary adjustment schemes under the Venetiaan administration, and won a formal, legally recognized education allowance for teachers in December 2008. Under the Bouterse government, FOLS led successful advocacy for the revaluation of teachers’ professional status and pay.
More recently, during the Santokhi administration, Nerkust guided FOLS through the formal publication of its updated organizational statutes, secured a new clothing allowance for all teachers, and led bargaining through the Ravaksur-PLUS collective negotiation framework that delivered tangible purchasing power improvements for education workers. Just before his departure, Nerkust also oversaw the delivery of a new priority policy wishlist to current Suriname President Jennifer Simons.
Nerkust closed his remarks by saying he leaves the organization with his head held high, and expressed full confidence in FOLS’ future under Barron’s new leadership.