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While some schools may not be fully aware of the impact that this initiative will have, others are of the belief that it will force cutbacks and undermine the quality of education. Today Minister Patrick Faber told us that the concerns are overstated….

Hon. Patrick Faber, Minister of Education
"In May of this year we came up with about 5 different proposals; 5 different scenarios of how we could change the system and we took those proposals to the stakeholders over the time and we are now ready to endorse one of those proposals that will see the way we change financing secondary. But will some schools be getting less money than were getting before? The answer to that is no and sthat's what is so beautiful about this scenario that were selected. Initially schools that are receiving funds that are over what other schools are receiving will be frozen and all its means is that they will not be given any additional monies over what they have been receiving for over the course of 5 years and those schools that were receiving under the amount of money that we believe should be the set average will be stepping up as we move along that 5 year period and we are hoping that as we approach that 5 year period that it will level out to a real value and that is really what the plan is so that schools that are saying the government is going to take money away from me immediately in November that's an unfair statement and anybody who is making that case would not be telling the truth. But it's not easy to put into one capsule what this whole reform measurement is all about, I would urge Belizeans to visit the ministry's website and to listen very keenly to the announcements on the television and on the radio the programs that we will be putting out because we want everybody to understand that it is fair that we do financing reform and its time that we do it. It has been that way for too long."

The reforms are to take effect in November.