Mon. Dec. 4, 2023

Father of the Nation, Hon. George Cadle Price had a saying, when fielding criticisms about something new his government was pursuing, that “progress brings problems.” And it made a lot of sense; after all, who is against progress? So, we should expect to endure some problems in the process. Over the years, however (and no one government is being targeted), there have been a number of instances when citizens have been left to wonder and question, not whether problems will come with progress, but whether the actions taken by those in authority in the name of progress, was any progress at all. Indeed, it appears that we have gone backwards in some instances, and we should not be reluctant in calling a spade a spade, for fear of being branded as against progress.

Of course, everyone has his own opinion, and some may disagree with the items we list here as being non-progressive, and that need to be revisited. You are welcome to share your viewpoint.

The first that comes to mind is our Belize Central Market. True, parking was an increasing problem in downtown Belize City, but parking remains a problem wherever you go in Belize City. It is one of the tradeoffs we must bear for the uniqueness and the history of the old capital, with its many historic places that form part of the nostalgia of old Belize and are an attraction for visitors. The domed roof of the old market could have used some repairs for a leak here and there, but it covered the whole market and allowed for a cooler atmosphere, being near the sea and all. What we have replaced it with now, the Collet Canal Michael Finnegan Market, is a definite step backwards. It is a congested mess when a hard rain comes, and the temporary tents outside on the streetside are better shelters than many places inside the market structure itself. And from the time it was built, it was already too small for the growing city; in fact, it might even be smaller than the bridge-foot Central Market. When it comes to seafood, and the practicality of easy access to water and the storage of products underneath the long cement counter that bordered the length of the market adjacent to the river/sea, there is no comparison. Besides, with the Coops a stone’s throw away and fishermen’s boats moored nearby, it was convenient for everyone—fishermen, vendors and shoppers—to get their fish in the cool shade of the market roof, rather than in the hot sun on the street side at the Finnegan Market. There is really no comparison. Rather than progress, Belize City has gone backwards with our market.

Some might argue that it was a fair tradeoff – a beautiful City Hall building instead of the old market. To that we would counter, yes, it is a wonderful City Hall building, but a City Hall building could equally have been built at many other locations in Belize City. There was absolutely no better location for our fish market than right near the sea where our fishermen land their product. All the old market needed was a thorough cleanup and renovation. It would be interesting to have a poll of citizens on this topic, only “old schoolers”, though; we can hardly trust the judgement of youngsters who have no knowledge of the old market experience, which also included the early breakfast section, with fresh fry fish and Johnny cake, etc.

And talking about “old school”; nowadays, good nurses are in demand in First World countries like the USA and Canada, and it is a great opportunity for Belizean nurses who don’t mind traveling abroad. Belizean-trained nurses are in demand, to the extent that we now have a shortage of trained nurses, and are needing to seek help from Cuba and other nations in the region. Well, it seems like we had some progress when everything was amalgamated into the University of Belize, where the Teachers College and the Nurses Training School have apparently been discarded. We would like to hear from “old school” teachers on their view of this situation. Was it a good idea to disband the Teachers College and instead include some courses for an education degree at U.B.? Was that move one that was more progress than problems? Currently, from all reports, our students are having a lot of problems, and it may be unfair to blame our teachers, but the situation needs looking into. Notwithstanding the economics of U.B. and consolidating the various disciplines under one institution, there may be something we are missing, having departed from the specially designed and focused institution of a Teachers College, which had been the foundation of our education system that proved quite successful for generations. And rather than seeking more applicants for the nursing courses at U.B., perhaps we should re-visit the strategy used in our Nurses Training School in the past, where trainees were even given a stipend as an incentive; and Belize produced an abundance of excellent nurses, which in fact could become an export “item” nowadays, besides properly staffing all our local medical institutions.

And, talking still about “old school”, what about the latest initiative of the Ministry of Education (MoE) in addressing the learning problems being exhibited by a number of students in schools countrywide? Many are doing very well with all the technological advancements, even excelling on the international scene in robotics, etc. But many have been falling by the wayside, and the MoE is focusing on those many underdeveloped talents. Hooray! They are promoting a new teaching strategy countrywide, which has been given a fancy name: “competency-based education”. As explained by junior minister of education, Hon. Louis Zabaneh, they will no longer be promoting students to a higher class if they haven’t “mastered the concepts”. Well, well, well! It seems like we have been here before. Isn’t that what was done generations ago in “old school” Belize? You fail until you “pass”; students were not promoted unless they “passed”. It has been determined that the presumed “progress” in the strategy of promoting students to satisfy their egos and self-esteem among colleagues has backfired, leading to frustrated and handicapped students who run into more and more problems as they are promoted to increasingly advanced classes. Foundation is vital, and it seems that the wisdom of “old school” has finally been appreciated here.

Perhaps, in the arena of football, the experts might learn something too. It is always some new system that they are supposed to be teaching our young footballers on the Belize national teams. And they are always begging fans to be patient, and “believe in the process.” After all the development programs that FIFA has financed, still our male national team has regressed in international competition. The experts at the FFB have all the documentation and training, but perhaps they are missing something that they can’t learn about in textbooks and training seminars, something about the Belizean psyche and our football players that some “old school” legends might be able to assist our national teams with.

Life is all about changes and new things. But the young and the restless, those who are humble enough to listen, often benefit from the wisdom of the elders. That is why we go to school, to learn from the experiences of others. But school books are not everything. Some gems of wisdom can only be derived from direct interaction with the elders, whether in an official institution of learning or just a casual conversation as in The Gambler.