U.B. Open Day encourages students to enroll
Achieving a tertiary level education was once a rare accomplishment in Belize but these days degree opportunities are practically a dime a dozen. So it’s no surprise that local colleges now find themselves having to compete for students. Today News Five’s Kendra Griffith took a closer look at what the country’s biggest institution is doing to keep enrollment up.
Yvette Hepburn, Asst. Coordinator, Open House
“U.B. is the place to be.”
Kendra Griffith, Reporting
That’s what the students, staff and administrators of Belize’s national university tried to convince everyone of today as part the institution’s Open Day.
Yvette Hepburn
“The purpose is simply to showcase, open up to the general public, prospective students and simply anyone interested in know what we are presently offering and our students are doing at the moment.”
[Montage of displays]
Yvette Hepburn
“Today we are highlighting, primarily here in Belize City, our Engineering Department; opening and highlighting their different machinery and stuff they use, some of the arts and sketches and some of the student work. Similarly is happening with the Business, we have the Nursing section, Education. Students are bringing in a lot of the work that they do and simply showing, detailing what some of these programmes actually entail because sometimes people have the wrong perception. One of the most popular programmes is the Business programme but we also have the Science—which would fall under Science and Technology—which is steadily growing mainly in the IT. A lot of students are applying for that programme. But in the Business it’s mostly associates in Business Studies and/or bachelors in Business Administration that are in demand a lot in Belize City because those programmes are offered both full time and part time in both campuses in Belize and Belmopan.”
But while business is king, according to Douglas Morrison, engineers are also essential.
Douglas Morrison, Chair, Engineering Department
“Engineering is the life bread of any country. It’s the area that does all the area of development, design, technology and for a country to drive, we need to have technology and that is what we are about. We have associate degrees in Architectural Technology, Building and Civil Engineering and in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering.”
There are currently one hundred and twenty-five students enrolled in the programme. Claudio Quiroz is currently studying Mechanical and Electrical Engineering.
Claudio Quiroz, Student, Mechanical and Electrical Engineering
“It’s just something I have a passion for really and this is the only place that provides this in Belize.”
Kendra Griffith
You are enjoying the programme? You like being at U.B.?
Claudio Quiroz
“Yeah so far. The only drag is the fact that we are apart from the rest of the students, back here is sorta isolated.”
In November 2006, students enrolled in the engineering course were joined by members of the general student body to protest a move by the administration to transfer the Freetown Road campus to government so the campus could be converted into an ITVET facility.
A year and a half later, construction is well underway, but Engineering Department Chair, Douglas Morrison, says the situation is still unresolved.
Douglas Morrison
“As far as I am concerned, we still have uncertainty as to what exists with this particular campus and the ITVET project. We are still hoping to go into discussion to sort it out and see exactly what is the real future of technical and engineering in Belize.”
And as the Engineering Department awaits word on its future, the university has moved forward in other areas, announcing that come August it will be offering a new course of study.
Yvette Hepburn
“History and Anthropology programme, we have the bachelors and associates degree. That is fairly a new programme headed by Dr. Cal. It’s a in demand degree and it deals with the detail of the history of Belize and the region. So it’s something very interesting, growing. We have more details available. Online, we’ll be putting more details but we have more details but we have more details available in office. So anybody can always feel free and come in and we can explain detail about the program to them.”
Similar Open Day activities took place at campuses in Belmopan and Toledo. Kendra Griffith reporting for News Five.
The deadline for applications to study at the University of Belize has been extended to April eleventh.
