For the year 2006, we thought that we would honour a lady of extraordinary dignity and strength who has worked for many years in the underfinanced and underequipped primary school system in the heart of Belize City’s Southside – the most violent community in the nation of Belize.
In paying our respects to Mrs. Barbara Lino, the individual, we, of course, pay our respects to all the teachers of Belize, for the vast majority of Belizeans remain committed to the belief that it is education and knowledge which provide the hope for us to climb out of the poverty, disease, ignorance and violence which afflict us as a people.
A primary school teacher who passes the test of time must play a remarkable variety of roles. A primary school teacher is surrogate parent, confidant, adviser, disciplinarian, mediator and fund raiser. A primary school teacher on the Southside of Belize City is a hero/heroine. A primary school principal on the Southside must be a true leader in the midst of circumstances which are often depressing, and sometimes even dangerous.
Amandala respects and honours Mrs. Barbara Lino, principal of the Salvation Army Primary School on Cemetery Road, as Belizean of The Year 2006. Following is a story on Mrs. Lino by Roy Davis.
by Roy Davis
BELIZE CITY, Wed. Dec. 20, 2006
As principal of Salvation Army Primary School, Mrs. Barbara Lino, 59, a career teacher for 41 years, has a tough job because most of the students are those that other schools do not want and they came from poor families.
Mrs. Lino admitted that the job seems to get harder every day, but she is not a “quitter” and she has helped to turn things around for many of the students. Currently, the school has 239 students, 130 of them, boys and the remainder, girls. There are 10 teachers, Mrs. Lino not included. She only teaches if there is a gap to be filled because a teacher is absent.
“Some of the students come with serious behavioral problems and we managed to turn them around,” said Mrs. Lino.
She added that the school’s motto is, “Through Education you can conquer the world,” and the students are instilled with the belief that they can improve their lives through education.
“Presently we have students from Salvation Army in all of the elite high schools and they are doing well,” revealed Mrs. Lino.
Besides having to deal with the administration of the school and functioning as a teacher sometimes, Mrs. Lino assists Standard VI teachers with the PSE and spearheads the reading program, Caribbean Center of Excellence in Teacher Training (CCETT) funded by USAID.
“Through the CCETT program we have helped to improve students in reading using the phonetic awareness approach,” said Mrs. Lino.
Mrs. Lino explained that the big problem at Salvation Army is not space; it is lack of finance.
“About 75% of our students cannot afford to pay their registration fees and that is the money we depend on to pay the school’s utility bills,” she said.
Apart from the shortfall in revenue, the school had to cut back on its breakfast program due to financial constraints. But the midday meal feeding program is still operating.
Nevertheless, the lack of the breakfast program is having a big effect on student attendance.
“Almost 20 to 30 students are absent from school every day because they have nothing to eat in the morning,” revealed Mrs. Lino.
Mrs. Lino said that when she asked the parents of the students who were absent why they did not come to school, she was told that it was because they have nothing to eat.
Apart from the need for finance, Salvation Army needs to start a computer class.
“Salvation Army is one of the schools that don’t have a computer class and I think that we need to have one,” stated Mrs. Lino.
She added that the school already has room for a computer laboratory and has one computer that was donated by the British High Commissioner.
“What Salvation Army needs is salvation from its financial woes by business firms willing to be generous,” said Mrs. Lino.
Mrs. Lino began teaching in 1965 at St. Ignatius Primary School. She taught at St. Ignatius for 10 years, then she went to Salvation Army.
Five years after she began teaching at Salvation Army she became the vice-principal, a post she held until 2000 when she was promoted to principal.
Mrs. Lino is the mother of 6 children, 3 boys and 3 girls. But she sees her family as being much bigger.
“I have been at Salvation Army for so long I see it as my second home and I consider the students a part of my family,” explained Mrs. Lino.
She also said she is quite happy at Salvation Army and does not wish to work anywhere else.