U.B. legislation will go to House

Another issue which will affect a large number of Belizeans is the new University of Belize. Today the Ministry of Education followed up on Cabinet’s announcement earlier this week that the draft legislation was approved for presentation to the House of Representatives. The ministry says although the draft will be tabled at the next House meeting scheduled for the end of the month, the Standing House Committee on Education will then hold further nationwide consultations, views of the respective faculties and staff of the five tertiary level institutions involved will be considered. The bill will then return to the House for ratification. The Ministry also announced that U.C.B. President Dr. Angel Cal will be taking over from Dr. Roy Young Jr. on the University of Belize Secretariat. The Secretariat’s staff will also be expanded to include the heads of the other institutions, the Belize Technical College, The Belize School of Nursing, Belize Teachers’ Training College and the Belize College of Agriculture. Classes at the new University of Belize are scheduled to begin in August of 2000. Since the beginning of the month the University College of Belize Council has been acting as the Interim Board for the University of Belize and it will continue to oversee the U.B. Secretariat during this transition. Patricia Bennett and Isabel Tun have been added to the U.C.B. Board.