Government says findings of UNICEF Report need to be taken seriously
Gaspar Vega
After receiving the full report, the Deputy Prime Minister Gaspar Vega and Minister of Social Transformation Eden Martinez acknowledged the need to take the findings seriously, while the Leader of the Opposition, John Briceño contended that it’s time to get to work.
Gaspar Vega, Deputy Prime Minister
“We have to ensure that we work hand in hand with our partners, especially our international partners because we all know for the implementation of the [recommendations in the] analysis report, we’ll need resources that we don’t have. So we will need the assistance, the support from these other institutions.”
Eden Martinez
Eden Martinez, Minister of Social Transformation
“Everybody was quite candid as it relates to the issues that were raised and I mean we cannot bury our heads in the sand. The report is a comprehensive one and it becomes our responsibility now as a government to look at it and let us build on the strengths and improve on the weaknesses that are reported within.”
John Briceño
John Briceño, Leader of the Opposition
“It is important for us as a country to sit around a table; the government, the different departments in the government, the different NGOs and even the opposition; for us to be able to take a hard look at the report in front of us and then for us to decide who is going to be doing what. Of course, the government has to take the lead for us then to stop that duplication and in some instances wasting valuable limited resources. So I think it’s time for us to—you know the studies are finished, the talk shop is finished so I think it’s time to roll up our sleeves and start to work.”
Recommendations were also put on the table including to expand the scope and capacity of tertiary education offerings, focus on improving communications and technology and increase access for women and adolescents to business opportunities.
IT IS SAD TO SEE THAT OUR KIDS ARE HAVING A HARD TIME GETTING SCHOOL SUPPLIES.IF YOU DON’T HAVE THE TOOLS YOU CAN’T DO THE JOB.SO WE ALL KNOW WHERE THE PROBLEM LIES.G.O.B. I WANDER IF THE EDUCATION DEPT.IS RUN LIKE THE SPORT COUNCIL.WHERE 90% OF THE MOENY FOR SPORT GOES TO SALARY?HOW CAN A PARENT PAY SO MUCH FOR SCHOOL BOOK FOR WHICH THE NEXT YEAR IT IS DUMP IN THE GARBAGE BECAUSE THEY CHANGE THE TYPE OF BOOKS.IT LOOK LIKE EVERY YEAR.WE TEACH A STUDENT FROM A DIFFERENT COUNTRY .I DON’T SEE THE REASON WHY THE BOOKS CAN’T BE SOLD TO THE OTHER KIDS THAT IS MOVING UP IN CLASS.I DO GET A LOT OF TEXT BOOK AND TRY AND SENT TO BELIZE FOR THE SCHOOL KIDS.wHEN YOU CHECK FOR HELP TO GET THE BOOKS THERE THE PEOPLE IN POWER SAY WE DON’T USED THOES KINDS OF BOOK.BUT I DID SEND A FEW FOR SOME STUDENT.AND ONE OF THE STUDENT CAME IN FIRST OUT OF 7 SUBJECT THE STUDENTCAME IN FIRST IN 5 AND 2ND IN 2.I ALWAYS THINK MATH IS MATH.IT HURT ME WHEN I HAVE TO PUT ALL THE BOOKS I GET FROM THE HIGH SCHOOL AND GIVE IT BACK TO THE GARBAGE MEN .IT WILL GET WORSE IF PM PASS THAT BILL.HE WIL BE IN CONTROLL AND YOU WILL ONLY READ WHAT HE WANT YOU 2. NO EDUCATION IT WIL BE JAIL FOR MOST OF THE POOR KIDS.FORGET ABOUT TAKING OVER BTL.BEL THAT IS LOOSING MONEY AND TAKE CARE OF THE KIDS EDUCATION AND FIND JOB.YOU WASTING YOUR TIME ON THINGS THAT WILL SOLVE THEIR OWN PROBLEM.WE NEED PUP BACK WHERE OUR PEOPLE IS FIRST .NOT THE MONEY ROYAL BARROW FAMILY FIRST.
Minister of SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION?????????????????????
WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?????????????
WHAT ARE HIS DUTIES………????????????????????
ALL OF THEM (MINISTERS) SHOULD BE ASKED WHAT THEY DO FOR THE PUBLIC.
resources we dont have??? if we dont have resources for our children how come we do have money for international litigation???? spend less in litigation and more in education!!!
These issues are not new, rather an ongoing problem that will not be solved until the Gov. of Belize takes an interest in the children. Who will be the leaders of tomorrow if the youth are not provided educational opportunities? Why are there two places that provide the necessary textbooks (in Belize City)? Why aren’t they printed and sold at cost by the schools, so the students have proper access, and stop with the ridiculous yearly updates (that outdate the previous year), unless absolutely necessary? Why are other supplies grossly inflated? The simple answer is greed. Someone has to be profiting from the educational neglect of the children, otherwise the system wouldn’t be structured the way it is. Keeping people uneducated provides a cheap labour force for the army, the prisons full (which tax payers pay for), easy recruitment for gangs, and teen pregnancy at an all time high. Poverty is a cycle that can be broken through QUALITY education, and this is not reflected in a 40% functioning literacy rate. Access and standards need to dramatically increase, but this will only happen when citizens of Belize pressure their local officials that EVERY child counts…no matter the socio economic status of their family.
WE NO HAVE THE RESOURCES? ….HMM BUT THE PM AND OTHER GOVT MINISTER CAN HAVE FANCY NEW RIDES,NEW HOMES BUILT,BUT THE CHILDREN DOESNT’ HAVE THE RESOURCES TO GO TO SCHOOL,WHAT A SHAME FOR GOB.ITS BEEN TOO LONG THEY WANT TO COME WITH LONE EXCUSESSSSSSSSS,HOW MUCH LONGER DO OUR CHILDREN NEED TO WAIT MR.GAPY VEGA,EDEN MARTINEZ?
Elgin Martinez, http://www.belize.gov.bz/ct.asp?xItem=1065&CtNode=599&mp=27
Someone:What is your point idiot?