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Have you ever thought of rating your child’s school? Most people don’t because, after all, school is just school right – and if you don’t like one, well you move to another. But the Ministry of Education is trying to change that culture – particularly at the primary level. Jacqueline Godwin found out more about the effort today.

Jacqueline Godwin Reporting,
On a scale of one to ten how would you grade the quality of your child’s school and do you know what makes a good school? Well that is just what this group of educators, parents, students and other stakeholders are trying to identify and then use to improve, develop and implement a quality child friendly schools initiative.

Nelson Longsworth, Director - QADS
“We are trying to agree or come to some agreement of what we will use as the definitions for quality schooling. Trying to establish from our realities because of course we can always draw on these from other countries but they won’t be appropriate. So it is an inclusive process.”

The concept will be tried first in ten pilot schools in Belize City’s south side and in the rural areas of the Toledo District. According to Nelson Longsworth the Director of Quality Assurance and Development Services, it is time to dispel the notion that children should be ready for school rather schools should be ready to accommodate the students served

Nelson Longsworth, Director – QADS
“We need to look at it from a different perspective. It is not just a service that we are providing but one that we are ensuring that all children become participators fully as they can in the whole process and children from all levels. These are some of the things we want to look at because we know that many of them are very lacking in the schools that we have today. Some are doing a little bit better but at the end of the day all can improve.

And so the internal assessment process is something we want to build and be able to support schools in doing. Once we identify these challenges and weaknesses then we develop what is called a school improvement plan. Again it is inclusive of everybody, including children, because if you look at a school, what space do they make in terms of allowing children to help make decisions. We tend to all believe that we need to do it for them.

Are children being served with the most appropriate type of classroom activities that are stimulating engaging etc. If we move beyond the classroom, are the services being provided like adequate toilets and other facilities, drinking facilities, water facilities, the issue of feeding and then there is the wider issue of the administration of the school and the other support and the engagement of parents playing a factor in the schooling or one way they become an integral part of helping in the education system.”

Schools should also be appropriately structured so that it does accommodate students who cannot afford the education. According to Minister of Education Patrick Faber what is trying to be achieved is nothing new and schools should already have had in place their own improvement plan.

Patrick Faber, Minister of Education
“That is why we have managers, that is why we have PTAs, that’s why we have boards for schools and so on.”

Jacqueline Godwin,
“But if there should already be plans in place, there was no need for this consultation.”

Patrick Faber,
“Indeed. We should know already what a quality school is. We are in the business of education. This consultation this morning though has a unique twist in that it tries to incorporate those outside the regular stakeholders of education. We have parents, of course students who often get overlooked. But you are right Jackie, this should not be a whole hurrah going on here. This should be something that is done everyday of the week, every month of the year, it should be a constant engagement so that we can become more aware should happen in our schools in order to make them quality schools.”

Fredrick Gordon, 4th former - Gwen Liz High
“In this society nowadays you have to be yourself, you have to free up and you have to know what you want in life and attack all your goals, don’t let anything hold you back. That is your future, your life, and what you make of it could have great effect on other people.”

Jacqueline Godwin,
“So you would like to see something put in place to get youths off the streets, into our classrooms, and make education more affordable to them?”

Fredrick Gordon,
“Yes and fun at the same time, encouraging the sports criteria.”

Jacqueline Godwin,
“Speaking with a fourth former just now, it was interesting but he was absolutely right in what he said, in that when you reach the tertiary level there are far more female students than male students attending and he would like to see something put in place where we get youths off the streets, put them in the classroom, but also make it affordable for them to attend school and pursue this high education.”

Patrick Faber,
“It is a very glaring piece of statistic at all levels. Males seem to be doing far less than females. One of the activities we had this morning was to actually look at the statistics and also to look at the government’s policy of how we intend to move forward. An initiative like the one, I don’t know if you are aware that this building on Magazine Road that was once the Venus Bus Line is now handed over to the Ministry of Education and we hope to turn that kind of vocational technical center to cater to young students who are dropping out of primary school and possibly even high school."

The National Concept and Framework for Quality Schools will also form the basis for external inspections that will be conducted by schools’ inspectors.

Also attending the consultation workshop are representatives from UNICEF which has committed two hundred thousand dollars to fund the Quality Child Friendly Schools Initiative. Some monies as well will be provided by the Government of Belize to ensure that the initiative is sustained. According to Minister of Education Patrick Faber as part of the objective to improve the quality of education over nine hundred teachers are benefiting from a training programme.