The statistics on out-of-school children are far from impressive; eleven thousand children are not receiving any form of education or training. Come this new school year, a programme attempting to improve the grim statistics will kick off at the existing Excelsior High School on Faber’s Road. The idea is to offer remedial and vocational courses […]
Primary school students across the country are enjoying the first week of the summer holidays but parents and members of the business community are already making plans for the upcoming academic year. Scotiabank today announced that it is embarking on an initiative to assist needy children to cover school expenses. This afternoon representatives from the […]
It is widely known, though not acceptable, that more than fifty percent of Belize’s teachers are untrained and uncertified. In 2009, the Ministry of Education started a teachers’ training program and offered scholarships to address that problem. The University of Belize is one of the institutions facilitating the process and while that is underway, UB […]
In the recent past there have been numerous teachers and parents that have gone public with their woes over school management. Well, classes break on Friday but who said there wouldn’t be more management troubles to end the 2010 school year? Today eight out of thirteen teachers at the Ladyville Evangelical Primary School called in […]
On Monday, we reported that Government intends to amalgamate the Hope Creek Catholic Primary School with the Hope Creek Methodist School. The Ministry of Education laid out its position on how it proposes to merge both schools which would then be administered by the Methodist Church. But as they say, denominations do not mix well, […]
Hope Creek is located off the Hummingbird Highway near the Coastal Road. It’s not a village that is known for controversy; we last heard about Hope Creek when Tropical Storm Arthur caused havoc to the village. We headed back to the village today and found a number of militant parents at the new site of […]
The results of the Primary School Examinations were made public two weeks ago. There was reason for excitement and celebration because the scores showed improvement over last year’s. This morning, the thirty students who topped the exams nationwide were acknowledged by the Ministry of Education in the presence of teachers, parents and their peers at […]
The hurricane season kicked off on June first and aside from the response mechanism that the Belize Red Cross has in place, it also focuses a lot of attention on preparedness in times of disasters. In Crooked Tree Village today standard four students were engaged in a ten-month long programme financed by the European Union […]
There’s a storm brewing at the University of Belize over reports that at least eight lecturers will not be returning to the classrooms upon reaching the retirement age of fifty-five. This has stirred commotion among faculty members who claim that the UB management will not be renewing the contracts of these lecturers once they reach […]
According to Tun, UB lecturers are finding themselves in a catch twenty-two where they are not necessarily being forced to retire but that the management is not renewing their individual contracts. Dr. Isabel Tun, Associate Professor, UB “We do not want for the university to lose people who are highly trained and at this stage […]
When we report on violence in Belize City, many times we don’t reveal the names of all the persons apprehended by the police for the crime. That is because the suspects are minors. During the Prime Minister’s Restore Belize Press Conference on Wednesday, Education and Youth Minister, Patrick Faber revealed that there might be as […]
The Primary School Examinations are not necessarily the only prerequisite for acceptance to high schools, but they are surely an indicator of how the nation’s young minds are performing in English, Math, Social Studies and Science. This year’s results showed a modest improvement over last year’s results in the four areas and it also showed […]
The statistics show an improvement over last year with national increases in all subject areas. Sixty-six point five percent of the candidates had satisfactory to excellent performances in English. Seventy seven percent of candidates also had satisfactory to excellent performances in Science. Sixty-five point three percent of candidates had satisfactory to excellent performances in Social […]
Official results for the Primary School Examinations have been released and the scores are considerably better in English, Math and Science. Six thousand, six hundred and sixty-one students sat the exams this year. The lengthy release from the Ministry of Education was released late this evening and a quick peruse of the nineteen page document […]
The newly renovated ITVET in Belize City was recently inaugurated and its students wasted no time in taking advantage of the many resources made available to them by the school’s administration. Today the institute held an open house showcasing its curricula at work. Kenroy Ellis, the Belize District Manager for ITVET says much planning went […]
Most of the classrooms at the Santa Familia Roman Catholic Primary School were empty today as students stayed away from classes following a demonstration by parents on Tuesday. According to village council chairman, Millard Tun, only twenty of the three hundred and five students enrolled have shown up for classes. That’s ninety-four percent of students […]
Mexico has long been a good neighbor of Belize when it comes to sharing in cultural and educational opportunities. Today Marcelino Miranda, the press officer for the Embassy of Mexico in Belize, says his government is offering fifteen scholarships to Belizeans in a variety of disciplines. Marcelino Miranda, Press Officer, Embassy of Mexico “The government […]
Students who recently sat the PSE are anxiously awaiting the results but teachers are worried that performance in one of two core subjects is significantly below their expectations. Math has long been a problem subject for most primary and secondary school students and their shortcomings in that discipline is evident in the PSE. The exams […]
There was a bit of uproar early this Monday morning in Benque at Mount Carmel High School. A group of students were told by the school administration that they could not stay at school. They weren’t sick and they did not display bad behavior. So why were they sent back home? Apparently they did not […]
At around one-thirty this afternoon, primary school students streamed out of exam centers with a weight lifted off their shoulders after completing the second half of the Primary School Examinations. Today’s papers were in Math and Social Studies, two subjects that put the students to the test. We caught up with a few of them […]
The much debated issue of corporal punishment has seen various organizations and government officials weighing in on its legality in parliament and among educators at the primary level. Today students had a chance to share their views on the topic with their peers in a forum held by Youth For the Future. Guest speaker at […]
While policymakers remain staunch about banning corporal punishment from classrooms students are of a different opinion. Interestingly some students are in agreement with the use of physical means of discipline in schools as long as it is reasonable and justified. Sharon Wade, Student, Excelsior High School “Well I think they should have corporal punishment. Well […]
On Tuesday we reported on the health and educational predicament that the teachers and students at Saint Peter Claver Primary in Punta Gorda are facing because the deteriorating roof is shedding asbestos. A serious health concern has erupted for many of the students who have complained about itching of the skin as well as labored […]
Pallotti High School is a secondary institution known for its above average performance in the CXC exams. Today that educational institution makes the news again, but this time, it is because it is the recipient of a set of computers from its New York Alumni Association. This afternoon the Association’s local representative and past graduate, […]
Controversy continues to loom at the University of Belize over the future of its president, Dr Santos Mahung. There have been statements made by the Ministry of Education, a UB faculty member and students. While we have not heard from Mahung, PM Dean Barrow weighed in today on the ongoing wrangling. But to get a […]
