There is a tentative date for students to return to the classrooms. Today, the Ministry of Education announced that the current school year officially ends this month and a tentative date for the reopening of the upcoming school year is August tenth. The ministry says it is earlier than in the past, but offers students […]
Minister Faber also called on secondary school teachers and counselors to return to classrooms from June fifteenth to thirtieth, to close out the current school year. They are to prepare for the upcoming CSEC exams and plan for the new school year. Patrick Faber, Minister of Education “We are also going to be requiring […]
Education Minister Patrick Faber also spoke on the programmes that are being affected as a result of budget cuts. These initiatives that stand to be affected are text books; school transport; school feeding programme; high school subsidy programme; six CSEC tuition scholarship programme; the six CSEC payment for students for the 2021 sitting of the […]
At the top of the newscast, we told you that the Ministry of Education is looking at August tenth to reopen schools. The ministry says that it will be putting a number of measures in place to transition into the new normal of education during a pandemic. But while the country gets ready for August, […]
Minister of Education Patrick Faber was also a guest this afternoon on Ask the Experts where he fielded questions from the public. Among the many concerns that were raised during today’s episode was that of outstanding school fees and the withholding of report cards from parents who still owe monies for this academic year. Faber […]
It’s graduation season, so tonight we follow a group of pre-schoolers at the Y.W.C.A. as they celebrate that special day in their very young lives. As you know, COVID-19 has changed the traditional to new and innovative ways. At the Y.W.C.A., the graduation may have taken a little longer, but it was worth the while. […]
A group of Belizean students in Massachusetts in the U.S. is waiting for approval from the government to return home. Saint John’s Anglican school teacher Keisha Garbutt and three other students completed their master’s degree in May, but were allowed to stay on campus until June thirtieth. They say they have applied to be repatriated […]
Hundreds of Belizean students remain stranded in many countries due to the corona virus that spread so quickly they were unable to get back home. The P.G.I.A. and borders remain closed but some Belizeans who work on cruise ships have been able to get back in the past week. Mexico and Taiwan are worlds apart, […]
June is graduation season for schools at all levels across the country. With the state of emergency still in effect until the end of the month, traditional commencement exercises will be abandoned due to strict social distancing guidelines, forcing school administrations to get creative with their graduation plans. A number of high schools are already […]
There is still no official information on the re-opening of schools, but the rest of the academic year will likely continue as is with students doing at-home studying. It is also graduation season, but because of COVID 19, the much anticipated occasion is not going to happen in the traditional form. Various high schools are […]
Students will be sitting CSEC and CAPE examinations in July. That was the decision coming out of the First Emergency Virtual Meeting of the Council for Human and Social Development earlier this month and since then, schools across the region have been preparing students for these tests via virtual classes and other forms of study. […]
Saint Catherine Academy in Belize City has notified its parents that they are closing off the school year on Friday, May twenty-ninth. This will allow for the school to continue with its CSEC preparation for its fourth form students, but also to allow the institution to develop its strategy going into the new school year […]
But will the new school year begin earlier in August rather than later? News Five confirmed today that a meeting with education officials and stakeholders will be held next week to determine the road ahead, given the COVID-19 situation and the possibility that by then, the country may be experiencing a second wave of the […]
Since the government announced that it will be receiving its citizens, who got stuck in countries abroad when the airport and borders were closed, Belizeans have been preparing to return home. One group, Mennonite businessmen, returned earlier this week. But more Belizeans are expected in the coming weeks, particularly on repatriation flights. So, what happens […]
The Caribbean Union of Teachers on Tuesday went on the offensive, vehemently registering its concerns over the decision to hold C-SEC examinations in July. The CUT says the decision to do so puts students and teachers at risk during the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision was made earlier this month by the Caribbean Examination Council. The regional […]
According to Minister Faber, students and teachers should now be getting ready to sit the exams in July, even though they were not in the classrooms due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Faber says that someone fell asleep at the wheel. Patrick Faber, Minister of Education “We have a tendency in our country to believe […]
So while the CSEC exams have been rescheduled for July, the traditional pomp and circumstance associated with graduation ceremonies are not in the pipeline at this time. Most students to now receive or pick up their completion certificates since schools have been unable to plan graduation ceremonies due to the SOE restrictions. But what about […]
Education Minister Patrick Faber was also asked about a timeline for the reopening of schools. In some other countries such as the UK and Mexico, schools have partially reopened. As to the resumption of classes in the classrooms, it is known that at the primary level, the school year ends the last week in June. […]
While locally the B.N.T.U. and P.S.U. have reached agreement with the government to forgo increments, there is a storm brewing involving regional exams. That is because despite opposition in the region, the Caribbean Examination Council, with the nod from the Council of Human and Social Development, is standing by its decision to hold examinations in […]
The regional union says that it has seen no evidence of any action plan by Ministries of Education in the region, which suggests that they have adopted any approved set of standards specific to the reopening of school. Elena Smith agrees. Elena Smith, National President, B.N.T.U. “In Belize we have not yet come up […]
And while public officers and teachers are forgoing their increments, will they face retrenchment? At his press conference last week, the Prime Minister said he will borrow as long as he can to avoid retrenchment. But PM Barrow predicted that whoever succeeds him as Prime Minister will have to speak to the IMF and IFIs […]
They teach and guide the children all year round. This year, COVID-19 is presenting unprecedented challenges, but the teachers continue to remain steadfast in moulding and inspiring the children. It’s National Teacher’s Day and today is set aside to honour and show appreciation to teachers. Annually, across the country, the teachers would engage in activities […]
While the occasion as not celebrated in grand fashion, Senator Elena Smith took time to underscore and express gratitude to teachers for using their own resources to work with their students virtually at this time of the pandemic. Senator Elena Smith, National President, B.N.T.U. “I want to say to them thank you because despite […]
The National Festival of Arts 2020 goes virtual. Around this time every year, the national showcase of primary and high school students in the performing arts would take centre stage at the Bliss. Well, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and adhering to new social distancing norms, the Institute of Creative Arts has launched a […]
Education Minister Patrick Faber has also weighed in on the matter in respect of teachers and their allowances, as they, too, are being affected by the fiscal crunch. Faber says that government’s request to waive increments and allowances for public officers and teachers is neither irrational nor unfair, given the existing circumstance. Faber also commented […]
