African/Mayan studies programme will expand
The vast majority of Belizeans can trace at least part of their ancestry to the ancient Mayan or African civilizations. But it was not until two years ago that the teaching of Maya and African history was formally intoduced into primary schools. How has the programme been going? Today its authors gave an interim assessment.
Kendra Griffith, Reporting
Since the programme?s 2004 inauguration, the teaching of African and Mayan History has been implemented in the lower, middle and upper divisions of the nation?s two hundred and eighty-two primary schools. Today, after a whirlwind evaluation of seventy schools, programme coordinators now have their sights set on higher education.
Froyla Tzalam, Dir., Institute of Social Cultural Research
?We visited schools in Corozal all the way to Toledo. From towns to the most remote villages and so we have a fairly comprehensive idea of how the project is being implemented. For us now, the biggest challenge ahead is how we are going to implement the project at the high school level, since the primary school has been pretty much handed over to the ministry of education, our involvement lies with implementation of the project for the lower secondary division.?
But introducing African and Maya History into classrooms was not without its challenges.
Dr. Aondofe Iyo, Co-Director, African and Maya History Programme
?As you know, the education system is multi-faceted. You deal with the school?s management, you deal with quality assurance, you deal with principals, you deal with teachers, and you deal with parents. And therefore it has not been very easy to get all these components on board. Not because they don?t believe in the philosophy, but sometimes because if I don?t own it, then I don?t want to see anything good in it. And that is the process that we have been trying to make sure that that does not take away the benefits of the programme.?
Froyla Tzalam
?In some cases I have had teachers who said I don?t see the point in this programme, it?s just like another additional reading to do. But when I look at the philosophy and I get to explain to them the reasons why we are doing this and the values and attitudes that we are trying to get across, I have met teachers who are like, I don?t anything to do with that programme and at the end of that discussion, they are like you know what, I agree with you a hundred percent, this programme is long overdue.?
Despite the ups and downs, co-director of the African and Mayan History Programme Dr. Aondofe Iyo believes the new curriculum will prevail.
Dr. Aondofe Iyo
?Our education system has to reorient us to a new idea that no, it is no longer a distant government, it is us, we are independent. If we do everything right here it will benefit the country. It hasn?t reached at that level. We are hoping that this will jump start the whole discussion on the colonial education that has been left behind after 1981, and this is the opportune time. Twenty-five years afterwards we should have a reflection. If we do the right thing, it will impact on the other subjects in the schools system. If his country sees the importance, they won?t allow it to die. If the country decides that it is not important to them, they want the ethnic acrimony to continue because of our misunderstanding, our miseducation about our identity, then it will die and the problems will continue.?
Dr. Iyo says the full impact of the programme will not be felt for at least fourteen years when students have been exposed to the teaching from primary through university level.
Kendra Griffith reporting for News Five.
Training of secondary school teachers in the African and Mayan history curriculum is slated to begin in August.
