And we caught up with the PM today at the inauguration ceremony for a brand new building at the Orange Walk Technical High School. The "substitute" building as it's called was necessary because the previous building that housed the students pre-pandemic had deteriorated.
The new 1.3 million dollar building was constructed with funds from the CDB and GOB under the Social Investment Fund.
Today at the ceremony, the chair of SIF, Narda Garcia, spoke about their involvement, while the PM reminisced on the growth that OWTHS has seen over the years.
Narda Garcia, Board Chair, Social Investment Fund
"The completion of the Orange Walk Technical High School was implemented by the social investment fund at a cost of approximately 1.3 million dollars with funds from the CDB (Caribbean Development Bank) and through the government of Belize under the social investment fund loan 3 program. This new school building will provide for about 200 plus students from a population of 800 with equitable access and quality education. To this end students will acquire the necessary skills to effectively achieve academic and vocational excellence in an environment that is conducive to progressive learning."
Hon. John Briceno, Prime Minister
"Orange Walk technical for many years was seen as the school where the students that are not doing well in school or they are poor would come to this school. Because of the issue of poverty, for many years Orange Walk Technical was looked down upon. If you go at Technical you either dunce or you're poor. But over the years with the hard work of the principal, I remember the principal that came here, people use to laugh at him, because of the vision that he had and saying that this is going to be a premier high school. People use to make fun of the principal, but they never gave up on that dream to turn around this school. Orange Walk High School has now become a high school that the students are proud to come to."
Julian Polanco, Principal, OWTHS
"If you see on my left there was a building that was demolished, so that building had impacted a lot of students, because it will house about 400 students. Right now, with the shift system that we have, we have an A and a B system whereby we have about 200 students for a day in that building and the following day the same thing."
Reporter
"The building that was demolished, was it because it was run down?"
Julian Polanco, Principal, OWTHS
"Yes, that building was compromise."
Reporter
"What kind of clases are being done in there?"
Julian Polanco, Principal, OWTHS
"Presently we are doing direct instruction, whereby we have 4th and 3rd form students being housed in that building."
The building has 8 classrooms, 2 offices and 2 bathrooms.
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