Gulisi primary School teaches in native languages
UNICEF and the Ministry of Education embarked on a unique project to establish intercultural bilingual education institutions in Belize several years ago. The schools, located in Dangriga, Aguacate, and San Jose in the Toledo District offer children the opportunity to learn in their first languages of Garifuna, and Mopan and Ketchi Maya; thereby contributing to the perseverance of indigenous values and cultures. Appearing this morning on our Open your Eyes breakfast show was associate professor at Galen University Dr. Filiberto Penados, a pioneer of bilingual education and one of the founding members of the Tumulkin Learning Centre in Toledo, who discussed the benefits of cultural education for all Belizean children. To witness the novel approach to education, co-host William Neal traveled to Dangriga to The Gulisi Community Primary School and compiled a report for the morning show. Here are some highlights.
Jenancia Flores, Principal
“We are at a hundred and nineteen students which speaks volumes because when we started our school, we started our school with seventy-six students and today we are at a hundred and nineteen. We are still operating our pre-school.”
Jessie Nunez, Teacher
“Right now, the interaction that we with them, it is so great. They look forward to the drumming and the singing and the dancing in Garifuna so that will not die any time soon.”
Lauralee Swaso, Parent
“I sent my child to Gulisi so that she can know who she is and appreciate her culture.”
William Neal
“Do you see a difference in her when she goes home? Does she have more interest in learning Garifuna? Does she speak it better? Anything like that?”
Lauralee Nunez
“Whenever she reach she would say “mommy buiti bináfi” and so she learn and count her one, two, three in Garifuna.”
William Neal
“How it makes you feel?”
Lauralee Nunez
“Proud.”
Alofio Castillo, Parent
“Yoh find out dat di youngs kids of todeh day hardly talk Garifuna but out yah so now dehn keep dehn in tune wid dehn culture. Later yoh could find out dat di man could seh a lot things inna Garifuna and ih really di learn wah lot.”
William Neal
“Do you speak to him in Garifuna as well at home?”
Alofio Castillo
“Yeah, we talk to ah inna Garifuna. As a matter of fact, even when ih go dah ih grandmother, ih grandmother noh talk to ah inna Creole; ih talk Garifuna. But when he come from school and he go dah ih granny and ih start to seh things inna Garifuna, ih grandmother feel good too.”
Jessie Nunez
“I am a passionate Garifuna and I have been positive about seeing Garifuna take its place among other languages in the written form, as well as in the oral form.”
Jenancia Flores
“I feel real blessed, I feel real honoured to be appointed principal of this school. I love my culture and by doing this I am of service to my people so I love being of service to my people and ensuring that the Garifuna culture will survive.”
The Gulisi Community Primary School is managed by the National Garifuna Council.
