Photo: Hon. Francis Fonseca, Minister of Education

by Kristen Ku

BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Aug. 10, 2023

Recent trends in Belize have shown an alarming spike in crime and violence, and it is believed that the violent behavior being seen in the community largely stems from unaddressed emotional challenges, some of which can be traced all the way back to the foundational years, during childhood.

With this in mind, the Ministry of Education, in partnership with UNICEF, launched an early childhood programme on Wednesday, August 9, at the Best Western Belize Biltmore Plaza in Belize City.

The “Think Equal Programme,” focuses on social and emotional learning to ensure positive life outcomes for children.

Alison Parker, Belize Representative of UNICEF, stated: “It’s a pleasure for us at UNICEF, as we support the Ministry of Education in the journey of learning across the life cycle, going back to the basics, and making sure the youngest of our citizens are well equipped to become productive and good citizens going forward.”

To embed the objectives of the programme in long-term efforts of the Ministry, a Memorandum of Understanding has been ratified by the Ministry of Education which aligns with the recently launched education curriculum that focuses on social and emotional learning for preschool children.

“Every child in Belize who will have access to this curriculum will learn about mental wellness and healthy ways of managing their emotions and daily interactions and relationships,” added Parker.

Different from anything introduced so far in the country, the program is initially targeting 600 classes, consisting of infant one and two students, whose teachers will receive special training.

“The objective, of course, is at the end of the day that we are producing, out of our education system, students who are going to be productive, disciplined, respectful members of our society,” shared Hon. Francis Fonseca, Minister of Education.

“It complemented the work of our ministry, and we’re very happy to partner with the Think Equal program that will allow us to train our teachers, and provide us with resource materials that we can use in our early childhood education program,” he added.

Teachers will be supported with resource books, lesson books, interactive storybooks, and meticulously designed lesson plans that are user-friendly and effective.

Approximately 22 countries are participating in the Think Equal program. Minister Fonseca made reference to this when he commented, “Think Equal is being implemented in other countries, and this nationwide rollout in Belize we believe will be truly revolutionary and impactful for our youngest students.”

The first rollout is expected to commence this coming school year and will eventually expand across the country.