by Charles Gladden
BELIZE CITY, Mon. Aug. 26, 2024
The Ministry of Education launched the National Accreditation Council on Thursday, August 22, at the House of Culture in Belize City.
“The functions of the Council shall be to promote the advancement of education in Belize, to ensure the quality of education delivered in Belize meets the standards set by the Council for the qualifications and certificates conferred, and that the appropriate standards are being maintained and improved to protect the interest of students and to promote the free movement of skills across the region,” said Minister of Education, Hon. Francis Fonseca.
According to Minister Fonseca, the Council is comprised of 11 appointed members – three representing tertiary institutions, one from TVET, two from professional associations focused on the discipline of education, two representing employers, one from the Ministry of Education, and two selected by the Education Minister along with the council’s executive director.
“We’re strengthening our institutions by having an accrediting body that would be there to do the things that need to be done, working closely with all the stakeholders to attain those objectives and the missions of each of those particular institutions,” said Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Dr. Hon. Louis Zabaneh.
He further remarked, “This is an important step towards sustainable human development for our country. We might not see these things when we might say we have an investment summit, and we are bringing in millions of dollars. This time we are talking about strengthening our institutions. For example, when we strengthen our judiciary or strengthen our systems in the police force. This is now strengthening our systems in the education sector.”
The Council has been in the works for almost two decades, said the CEO of the Ministry of Education, Dian Maheia.
“We’re here for work that started 18 years ago, and some of you are shaking your heads because you remember – you were there – and I expect that the reality is that somewhere in the past 18 years we lost focus. We did the busy work, but not the vision; somewhere along the line there’s a gap,” she said.