Government outlines plans for free textbooks
Free: It’s one of those words that we all like to hear … and no matter how many times we are reminded that there’s no such thing as a free lunch, we’ll take free over paid every time. The latest freebie to come our way is especially critical to parents, many of whom endure a summer of panic trying to raise the cash to pay for that heavy backpack full of textbooks. News Five’s Janelle Chanona has the story.
Francis Fonseca, Minister of Education
“We have talked enough. It is now time for us to act in the best interest of the children of Belize.”
Janelle Chanona, Reporting
Next week, the first of eight forty-foot containers is scheduled to arrive in Belize packed with primary school textbooks that will be distributed free of cost to students around the country this September. The Math, Spanish, Science, Social Studies and Language Arts books are part of a national education programme launched by the Government of Belize to significantly relieve the financial burden of rising educational needs on parents while simultaneously providing equal access to all students. But the notion of standardized textbooks has been on the table for more than two decades and with less than eight months left before general elections, critics are dismissing the Musa administration’s plans as a political stunt.
Francis Fonseca
“I think if one wants to be cynical, you can properly describe anything a government does as an election gimmick particularly in the year leading up an election as you rightly said. But if people want to describe this as an election gimmick, I’m prepared to accept that, I keep smiling, I keep moving forward because I believe that this is in the best interest of the children of Belize. So I don’t waste any time at all worrying about that criticism. And understand very clearly, that at the end of the day regardless of which government is in power, we have started this programme, regardless of who is in office; this is an excellent initiative to improve education for the children of Belize.”
Maud Hyde, Chief Education Officer
“Standardization is definitely not a new thing.”
The programme includes the distribution of textbooks, workbooks, readers and teacher guides. According to Chief Education Officer Maud Hyde, all the books have been evaluated and approved by experts.
Maud Hyde
“So we are confident that we are putting into the hands of our children good, high quality material. So although we did not have a formal consultation period, consultation has been happening from 2000 because in the Ministry we have been moving with the mandate that is given to the Ministry to review textbooks on a regular basis and ensure that schools are using the books that are best aligned with the curriculum.”
“This is an opportunity for all our children to start on an equal playing field where they are given good quality textbooks to all, not some, all of our children.”
Francis Fonseca
“So no student should be required by a school or a teacher to buy any other textbook, should be required to buy any other textbook, in those core subject areas. Now that doesn’t mean that a teacher cannot supplement these books with texts of their own and teachers do that now, teachers do that all across the country, they bring their own books to school, they bring their own notes, they borrow books from the libraries, they make their own notes so they add to what they are using. But I want to make it clear to parents, that you are not required to buy any other textbook in these core subject areas.”
The textbook program will be implemented in government-run and aided schools through a management team. And while the initiative reads well on paper, there has been some resistance to the idea in the classroom. In response to threats by certain schools not to participate, today the Ministry of Education circulated this advisory, making it clear that non-compliance could result in teacher licenses being revoked and the removal of government funding.
Francis Fonseca
“I urge all our stakeholders in education but particularly our general managers, principals, teachers and parents to give their full support to this important initiative. Not for this government or for this Minister but for our children. Let us keep an open mind, where there are weaknesses let us work together to correct them, let us set aside our differences, political and otherwise, and embrace this opportunity to do what is right for our education system, our Belizean families and our country.”
Maud Hyde
“This is a team effort and in the best interest of the children so you know when you want people to work in collaboration, you don’t want to have an antagonistic attitude towards the process otherwise in the end it’ll be the children who will be caught in the middle.”
Later this month, the textbook publishers, in coordination with the Ministry of Education, will hold training session for teachers from all six districts. The educators will then go back to their respective schools and train their colleagues.
Nelson Longsworth, Director QUADS
“Up to two hundred and ten teachers that we classify as master teachers will be coming to a central area to be trained so as to build the capacity of each district to have a team of trainers to then conduct national training in the first two weeks of August.”
The Government of Belize will be funding every aspect of the program from buying the books, delivering them to the schools and teacher training. The cost of all that has been calculated at just over six and a half million Belize dollars. According to General Manager of the country’s Methodist schools, the money is a sound investment but reminds us books are only books.
Patricia Bennett, General Manager, Methodist Schools
“Books are only the vehicle they are not the be all and end all of what your kids learn. Teachers and principals have got to intentionally work with their children and work with their parents as well because the parents have to be involved, the community have to be involved so it is a team effort in improving the education in our schools.”
Students and their parents will have to sign a contract with their schools, agreeing to take care of the books. And like a library practice, the textbooks will be returned to the institution and then reissued to the next class. Reporting for News Five, I am Janelle Chanona.
During today’s press conference, education officials estimated that the annual cost of the programme will be approximately one hundred and fifty-six thousand dollars for the procurement of workbooks. However, the government is exploring the possibility of producing the material locally, which should substantially minimize costs.
