Minister of Education Francis Fonseca recently commented on plans to kickstart the reopening of schools for all Belizean students in August and September and a possible phased reopening even earlier. Principal Jamie Usher of Belize High School spoke to News Five today about the school’s readiness for the reopening pilot project. Jamie Usher, Principal, […]
There’s an exciting robotics competition happening later this month. It involves fun learning where students pick up new skills that they can apply in other areas of their studies. Belize High School is hosting the contest and looking for a few more participants. Reporter Andrea Polanco tells us more. Sophia Usher, Standard V Student, […]
The nations school children may be hoping to resume in-person classes in September, but in the meantime many are still on remote learning. This week one school in the Stann Creek received a most welcome donation of laptops that should really help the students and teachers keep up with their work. [Donation of Laptops…] […]
Whether you are a parent, a student or an educator, the biggest question surrounding COVID-19 recovery across Belize is: when will schools reopen for in-person learning? This morning on Channel Five’s Open Your Eyes, Minister of Education Francis Fonseca gave a start date for all students, but indicated some students may need to go back […]
Students across the country have been adjusting to distance learning for almost an entire year. Different schools adapt their methods based on what their school population can access. In the case of Sacred Heart College in the West, shifting to virtual classes has been a lot more manageable than most would expect. News Five’s Duane […]
Teachers of Unity Presbyterian School in south side Belize City are tonight once again pleading for help as their classrooms have been burglarized for the second time this month. It is a perennial problem that the school has been facing, and it seems that this time, they have been left alone to deal with the […]
The University of Belize has a newly reconstituted board of trustees. In December 2020, the Ministry of Education announced new appointments: the Minister’s representative attorney Anthony Sylvestre who is now the board’s Chairman. Retired Major Lloyd Jones has been elected as the vice-chairman and will be representing the interest of the tourism industry. Cresencio Sosa […]
It’s been a little less than a year since the schools were closed countrywide. This new model of learning means parents collect school packages, and teachers and students interact virtually. The Ministry of Education decided that schools will remain close to face to face learning until it is deemed safe for students and teachers to […]
And while distance learning is the safest option, for now, the planning has already started for the eventual resumption of face-to-face learning. The Ministry of Education formed the COVID-19 Education Task Force to plan for that safe reopening, aiming for August/September 2021. Its first meeting was held last week, and by the looks of it, […]
Some three weeks ago, at the start of the school term in January, close to a hundred tablets for distance learning were stolen from Sadie Vernon High School in Belize City. At least five persons were captured by street cameras leaving the area with plastic bags used to carry the devices. Close to fifty were […]
The Briceño Administration has begun budget consultation ahead of his first budget presented, which is expected to be in March. The government has formed two teams to carry out budget consultation with relevant stakeholders. Minister of Education Francis Fonseca, Deputy Prime Minister Cordel Hyde, Public Service Minister Henry Charles are accompanied by a technical and […]
On January twenty-first, managements of all schools, the B.N.T.U. and the Belize Teaching Services Commission received a memo from the Ministry of Education indicating that all approvals for study leave with pay were suspended. Chief Education Officer Yolanda Gongora stated that this decision was made due to the fiscal constraints caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. […]
A group of teachers at Punta Gorda’s Saint Peter Claver Primary School have express their discontent with the assistant local manager for the district’s school. Since 2020, the teachers have been registering their discontent to the school’s board and the Ministry of Education. One of those teachers is Ray Martinez who told News Five on Monday […]
This morning in Punta Gorda, seventeen Saint Peter Claver Primary School teachers lined the streets in town in solidarity with their school principal. The teachers say they are taking a stand against what they describe as an assistant local managers’ tyrant administration. This morning, teachers stood outside the school to express their discontent, saying that […]
According to Martinez, teachers at Saint Peter Claver Primary School are trying to figure out why the assistant local manager is preoccupied with their school. She is responsible for twenty-nine schools in the Toledo District. The teachers say they are also demanding that a financial report regarding the school’s feeding program be made available. […]
The distance learning approach has been in effect since the 2020 school year began. At the start of every week, weekly packages are picked up, completed by students, and then submitted by the end of the week, while others engage in online classes. But what about students with special needs? News Five’s Duane Moody visited […]
The Briceño Administration has established a COVID-19 Education Task Force to help guide the government in delivering quality, accessible education during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has dealt a blow to education, with regular classroom sessions suspended since March of last year. So the idea is for the task force to provide specific recommendations for […]
Today, the Ministry of Education issued a memo to managements of all schools, the Belize Teaching Services Commission, and the B.N.T.U. in which the matter of study leave with pay is addressed. In the memo, Chief Education Officer Yolanda Gongora states that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused heightened fiscal scrutiny and financial prudence, which has […]
It was back to school day today. And like all things in the pandemic era, today was very different. Secondary and tertiary schools resumed virtual classes why primary schools dissipated their first batch of learning packages. It is a continuation of the distance learning that began in the last term. How have all parties involved […]
Education Minister Francis Fonseca confirmed today that government will be paying for only three Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations per student, as oppose to the traditional six. Fonseca says that the government has been in constant dialogue with CXC which says that it is not recommended that they reduce the content coverage for their […]
Chief Education Officer Doctor Carol Babb has stepped down from her post after serving in that capacity for several years under former Minister of Education Patrick Faber. That announcement was made via an internal memo sent out earlier today by the Ministry of Education. But while Dr. Babb has come to the end of her […]
According to Fonseca, while the new administration is prepared to work with political appointees from the previous government, a number of those contracts are under revision. Isani Cayetano “Do you find that it either binds or constricts you ability to be able to bring in new blood, so to speak, bringing new ideas in […]
Minister of Education Francis Fonseca is yet to meet with the Belize National Teachers Union to chart the way forward for the education sector. In the past, the B.N.T.U. has had a contentious relationship with the ministry when it was under the helm of former education minister Patrick Faber. In the wake of the victory, […]
On November twenty-second, Chief Education Officer Doctor Carol Babb sent out a memo informing teachers that they would be allowed to work from home and conduct online classes until the end of the school year. This is something that the Belize National Teachers Union was clamoring for and it was the new administration who agreed […]
In July of this year, Minister of State in the Ministry of Education Doctor Louis Zabaneh lobbied for an increase in government’s subvention to the University of Belize. This was before the former Education Minister sliced UB’s subvention by twenty-five percent, from eleven million to eight point three million dollars. This placed the university in dire […]
