New classrooms for All Saints

Every September, schools throughout the country are faced with the challenge of having more students than space to put them. This year was no different, but at least one Belize City school decided to take matters into their own hands. The students and teachers of All Saints School teamed up with the Social Investment Fund and the Parent Teachers Association to erase the severe overcrowding in their classrooms.

Vetaline Thompson, Principal, All Saints School

“We had Infant One with about seventy children in one classroom. And then we have Standard Six with about sixty something in one classroom. Then I had my office in the back of a classroom, so it really means a lot to us. This school year a lot of people came asking for space, but although we have this new building, we don’t have enough space to take them in, and surely we would like to take in everybody who come to ask.”

Mapye Smith, Parent Teachers Assoc., All Saints School

“We’re so happy for it and we do need another one. There’s just more classroom space available. The feeding programme has over a hundred kids a day, so we have a new area for that. We have a computer lab that the school didn’t have, so we now need to get computers, we are still asking for donations in those areas. Despite having the feeding programme area, we need a new stove and different things for it. So we’re on our way, but we’re still not there.”

The new school building costs just over two hundred thousand dollars. The Parent Teachers Association contributed close to eleven thousand dollars towards the project. The rest of the funds came from the Government of Belize. The building contractor was Mr. Bavian Mossiah.