BELMOPAN, Mon. Mar. 28, 2022– During a sitting of the House of Representatives last week, the Deputy Prime Minister, Hon. Cordel Hyde, revealed that the government’s free education program is set to begin this year. According to Hon. Hyde, the initial phase of the program will benefit several Southside Belize City high schools, namely Maud Williams High School, Sadie Vernon High School, Excelsior High School, and Gwen Lizarraga High School. The investments being made in these schools are a part of a cluster of initiatives being put into effect as part of the Government’s “Belize Education Upliftment Project,” through which GoB, in addition to providing tuition for the students, will address the need for uniforms, books, digital devices, and adequate transportation.
The announcement was made during an address by the Deputy Prime Minister in the House of Representatives that highlighted the fact that this administration’s $1.3 billion budget is the largest yet, and that with it, the Government will begin to tackle the plethora of “social justice needs” in the country that require attention, including land availability, housing, and free education.
“We understand that the greatest antidote to crime and violence is a sound education, not more money for the police—more money to make sure that every single child in this country gets to go to school and complete school. Under the UDP, those billions of dollars that were spent, two thousand kids were dropping out of school yearly, you know—out of standard five and out of standard six and first form and second form primarily. You know why? Because the kids and their parents couldn’t pay the fees,” said Hon. Hyde.
The Deputy Prime Minister criticized the previous administration for spending millions of dollars on road contracts while failing to ensure that children could afford to stay in school.
“And then we want to know why crime is through the roof. It will always be through the roof until we make sure that every single child—red or blue—stays in school. Because the kid that stays in school is not going to get caught up with the gangs,” he added.
The Deputy Prime Minister’s announcement was supplemented by further details about the program, which were provided by the Minister of Education, Hon. Francis Fonseca who, after responding to Hon. Moses “Shyne” Barrow’s criticism of the budget, pointed out that the funding allocated to Education is set to increase. He stated that the Capital Budget for Education was increased by $13 million this fiscal year.
“If you look at the whole picture, you will see that we are adequately funding every sector of the economy. The Capital budget was increased by 13 million dollars,” said Minister Fonseca.
Hon. Francis Fonseca has criticized the previous administration for spending millions of dollars on education but making no improvements in regard to the level of accessibility of quality education, with net school enrollments having fallen drastically during their term. When the current administration had first announced its plans for a free education program, Minister Fonseca stated that the focus of the new plan, and the overall focus for the Education Ministry, would be “course correction.”
In addition to increasing funding for education, the Government has also been focusing on curriculum reform, a venture that is being spearheaded by Hon. Dr. Louis Zabaneh, Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science, and Technology. It is focused on improving the curricula at schools and increasing training for teachers. Hon. Dr. Zabaneh rose in support of the budget and spoke on the Ministry’s current work to transform the country’s education system, particularly by putting greater focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM). He also noted that, in total, the Government will be investing somewhere around $258.7 million in education.
During the budget debate, the Minister of Education also noted that the country is on its way to seeing all schools re-opened for face-to-face learning five days a week, come this summer. He highlighted the importance of having students back in the classroom for the sake of their academic, social, and psychological development.