It’s Education Week and at the opening ceremony this morning
a new 15 member National Council for Education was commissioned. The Minister
also outlined new plans for the Ministry. And we begin with those, and confirmation
from Education Minister Patrick Faber that government will provide first and
second form high school students with $300 education grants.
Hon. Patrick Faber, Minister of Education
“We are offering an additional $300 subsidy to students in first and
second forms that are in need of it. And when many have been asking how is it
that we are going to be determining those who are in need and we are about to
release the criteria for that to the high school so that they can do the determination
of who will get the assistance. And we are working very closely right now with
the Ministry of Human Transformation, as you know they work a lot with people
in poor conditions, and they are the ones who can help us determine what guidelines
we will be using. But those guidelines will be released to the schools, to the
high schools so that people in the high schools can then be the factors that
determine, using the criteria of course, of what students will get the assistance.
We hope to bring relief by and large to a huge percentage of those students
who are in first and second form. I cannot give you a definite number but we
are hoping it will be a significant portion of the first and second form populations
in high school.
We will not be determining who gets this assistance based on which political
party people serve. Definitely it will be handled through the high schools.
The Ministry of Education will be instituting inspection of schools for
quality assurance and requiring schools to do planning and that they implement
and monitor for school improvement.”
There was also a renewed commitment from Teacher’s Union President Jaime
Panti to work with the Ministry of Education.
Jaime Panti, BNTU President
“BNTU will always have a good relationship when it comes to education
with the Ministry. I cannot make a promise that political wise we will always
have a good relationship but education wise we will always have a good relationship.”
And that good relationship will be needed to fix a system which Education Minister
Patrick Faber says is floundering.
Hon. Patrick Faber,
“Education is clearly seen as the answer to all our problems and when
we continue to have these problems despite the investment in education, we conclude
that the education system is failing and lay blame at the feet of those involved
in education; the Minister, the Ministry of Education, schools, principals,
and teachers.
Primary schools survival rates according to the 2005 figures show that
about 10% of students entering infant one will not survive to complete primary
school. Primary school completion rate, according to the 2005 figures again,
indicate that more than half of the students in infant one will not complete
primary school in the eight years prescribed. As many as 70% of students achieved
below satisfactory level on the PSE exam, according to the 2006 statistics.
Secondary school dropout rate, 2005/2006, shows 10.4%. Secondary school
completion rate 2005/2006 shows 59.7%. 42% of students achieving less than satisfactory
on CXC, English A for 2004 and 45% of students achieving less than satisfactory
level on CXC mathematics for 2004. And them statistics in all of these cases
are worse for boys than for girls.”
An education system in shambles – but one which this young Education
Minister says can be fixed.
Hon. Patrick Faber,
“There is need for mutual understanding and support between schools
and the communities they serve and that schools cannot change the community
alone, it has to be a community effort. Schools reflect the attitudes, beliefs,
and health of the communities they serve. And therefore to improve them means
more than changing our schools, it means changing Belize.”
Government is also looking at financially assisting third and fourth
students who are unable to pay to take CXCs. That is however just an idea at
this point, nothing has been confirmed. There are also plans to start a national
school feeding program.
There are 15 persons on the new National Council for Education and
they are: Chief Education Officer Maud Hyde, Patricia Bennett, Sister Caritas
Lawrence, Robert Lopez, Jaime Panti, Salome Tillett, Adrian Leiva, Roderick
Cardenas, Dora West, Lisa Cuello, Sunjay Hotchandani, Derrick Satchwell, Ishmael
Requena, Louis Moguel, and Jennifer Lovell. The council will serve for two years.
Education week runs through to the weekend.
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