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Education in Belize

A Historical Perspective
By: Alexander J. Bennet

Done By : Angel Shal

1
Introduction
Belize’s educational system originated with the

establishment of a small primary school in the Belize

Settlement in 1816. That event marked the beginning

of the era of colonial education in this country. From

the political, economic and social standpoints, the

colonial period of Belize’s history was not the

happiest of times. Nevertheless, it must be admitted

that it was a formative period in the development of

our educational system.

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Chapter 1
The Establishment of Formal Education

This was really, a significant


The Honduras Free school event, a small school sponsored by First recorded measure to set up a
founded 1816 was under the governing authority of the school in Belize, occurred when
Anglican Management. small British outpost while slavery the Public Meeting in 1807.
was still prevalent.

John Armstrong

Church clerk and schoolmasters


For a number of years there was
arrived in Belize from England
no church building until 1812
at the beginning of the
when the historic ST. John the
Anglican Chaplaincy of John
Baptist Cathedral was
Armstrong in 1812.
constructed.

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The reading and writing of the
George Arthur was a man who
English Language and
evidently possessed a certain Arithmetic were to be taught in
the schools and English,
degree of compassion for the George Grammar and Geography were
slaves and for the labouring Arthur to be taught in a manner
population at large. presented by the Board Rules

The Educational Ordinance (1892)

The 1892 Education Ordinance re-established a Board of Education and


provided for a code of school rules to be drawn up and promulgated by the
Board of Education. The Board consisted of the Government as President, the
members of the Executive Council and five other members appointed by the
Governor.

The 1892 ordinance laid down the conditions under grants-in-aid were given.
These are as follows:

1. The property and management of the school was to be vested in managers


having the power to appoint and dismiss teachers and the responsibility for
payments of teachers’ salaries and all the expenses of the school.
2. The school was to be at all times open to inspection by the Inspector, the
Sub-Inspector, any member of the Board or any member of the District
Board.
3. The school was to be opened to children without distinction of religion or
race.

No child was to receive any religious instruction to which the parent or guardian of
such a child objected, or to be present when such instruction was given at the
school.

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The Board of Education Rules

The Board of Education Rules were completed in 1894. They were drawn up to
complement the 1892 Education Ordinance. The following were some of the salient
features of these features: -

1. The whole work of the administration of schools was placed in the hands of
the Inspector of the schools.
2. All grants were paid were paid by the inspector’s department after they had
been approved by the Board of Education.
3. All correspondence between the Board and the school manager was carried
on through the Inspector of schools.
4. The inspector was to visit all grant-aided schools for the purpose of inspection
and examination.

The Inspector was madeSecondary


responsibleEducation
for holding two examinations annually for
persons who wish to obtain teaching certificates

Secondary education was not introduced in Belize until during the last two decades of
the nineteenth century.

3. St. Catherine Academy 2. Wesley College founded 1. St. John’s College


founded 1886 in 1882 founded in 1887

4. Diocesan High School for


Girls founded in 1887

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Chapter 2 Colonial Education Policy Making (1900-1930)

The majority of the The Great War of It is within the


inhabitants was 191401918 brought an political, social and
comprised of the injection of trade, economic context that
Belize working class which benefited the efforts continued to be
creoles, the Mestizos, colony. made to sustain
the Black Caribs education in Belize
(Garifuna) and the
Maya
There was an of the three
established system of primary education, but attendance at school was not free.
linguistic
School principals groups.
on behalf of their managers charged a school fee of 5c per head per week.

Before 1915 primary


38-40 primary schools at At the end of 1915, 58
school education was not
the time. government-aided primary compulsory.
schools in operation in Belize.

 In 1915 the first compulsory education ordinance was passed.


 It provided for compulsory school attendance in certain areas
declared compulsory school attendance areas by the Governor.
New
 In 1926, a new Education Ordinance was passed by the
law
Legislative Council. It came into force in January of 1927.
‘The prime object of this Ordinance is the better enforcement
of Compulsory attendance in the schools’.

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The main provisions of part I were as follows:
1. The Board of Education was comprised of the Governor as President, the
members of the Executive Council and not more than 5 members appointed by
the Governor.
2. The duty of the Board was to utilize monies voted by the Legislative Council for
educational purposes.
3. The Board was empowered to make rules for regulating the allowances of grant-in-
aid to assisted schools, the examination and certification of teachers, and the duties
Education Officers appointed under the Ordinance.
4. Out-district Boards of Education could be appointed by the Governor.
5. The duty of the District Board of Education was to visit assisted schools within the
limits of their districts and report on them, and to advice the Board of Education on
applications for establishing schools in their districts.
6. Assistance should be given to schools in respect only of children 5 to 16 years of age.
Part II of the Ordinance contains the following provisions:
1. The Governor, with the consent of the Board, was empowered to declare any area
to be a compulsory area of school attendance and to decide whether the ages of
attendance within the area shall be from six to twelve or from six to fourteen.
2. It made it the duty of every parent of a child residing within a compulsory
attendance area to send a child to school or to provide the child with private
instruction as efficient as that obtainable at a school within such an area.
3. School officers were empowered to enforce a fine of 5 cents for every absence of
a child from school without reasonable cause.
4. Parents who neglected to pay the fines levied by the school Officers were liable to
be summoned before a magistrate who could impose an additional fine not
exceeding two dollars.

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Chapter 3 Overhauling the System (1930-1940)

Concern of the educational authorities in British Honduras during the 1930’s


was the overhaul of the educational service proposed by Mr. B.H. Easter

By 1930 British Honduras had begun to feel the effects of the world
depression.

The following year the economic difficulties already in motion were


aggravated by a disastrous hurricane in 1931, which destroyed the capital
town of Belize and took heavy toll of lives, poverty and natural resources.

In 1931 the population was 51,347 with 21,661 living in the Belize District.
The most sparely populated district was the Toledo District.

The population was comprised of a number of ethnic groups, a situation


similar to what obtains today.

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School attendance was compulsory for children between the ages of six and twelve years or
between six and fourteen.

the grant-in-aid
could be claimed for The total length of
children between schooling possible
five and sixteen for a child was
years eleven years.

according to which the Governor or The number of schools and


was empowered to declare any area to consequently the number of children
enrolled in schools was growing
be a compulsory school attendance gradually over the years. B.H.
area. At the time of the visit by B.H. Easter’s report records increases from
1850 up to 1932
Easter, there were 34 such areas.

Figures for the period 1900-1932.

Years Schools No. on Roll No. in Average Attendance


(for the year)
1900 38 3391 2383
1910 44 4641 3137
1920 58 6187 4558
1930 75 7754 6118
1931 78 7843 6058
1932 75 8038 6585

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Chapter 4 British Aid to Education in Belize (1940-1954)

The Advisory Committee of education was the central for


policymaking
The Colonial
1939 – There Policy is to
. protect and
was a push
towards advance
getting interest of the
financial colonies and
assistance for to improve the
education standards of
life.

A visitor from Barbados (S.A. Hammond)


. agreed that we should apply for the grants to
assist us under three main aspects.

1) Establishment of two school for


professional training of teachers.

2) Build primary schools and trade schools.

3) The provision of teacher houses


.

BH Easter Policies

Focuses on the primary school age students on the basis of the church-state partnership.

1944 – grants approved ( rehabilitation of schools, textbook, stationaries and a summer course for
teachers.) after the hurricane in 1942.

Local materials building. Buildings should be hurricane-proof and ferro-concrete.)

Untrained teachers will go to the school to get training.

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The Evans Commission

In 1947 this commission advocated for the establishment of full time training of
teachers.
It also advocated for the Development plan of 1949 for 1950 to 1955
The plan was to provide a one year course to be followed by two three- month periods
of follow up training.
The scheme was subsequently developed into a plan for a two year training college
course, followed by a probationary year leading to a local teachers diploma.
On December 18, 1953 Reverend M.M. O’ Connor, General Manager of R.C primary
schools informed the board that the Catholic authorities wished to have their own
training centre for their teachers.
In June, 1954 the two training colleges were inaugurated, one for government and one
for Catholic.

Policy for the Colleges

 On December 16, 1954 the policy with regard to recognition of the training colleges
was debated.
 General principles for the recognition of both colleges are as follow:
 Staff should possess approved academic and professional qualification.
 The principal at least should have a degree from a recognized university and a
recognized teacher’s diploma or certificate.

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Secondary Education
(Methodist), St.
In 1947 five
St. John’s College Catherine
recognized (Roman Catholic),
St. Michael’s Academy (Roman
secondary schools
College Catholic) and St.
were in operation. (Anglican),
Hilda’s College
Wesley College
(Anglican)

Enrollment as of December 31, 1947 was 815

On February 13, On June 3, 1945

1945, Mr. S.A the Venerable G.

Hassock R. Hulse, stressed

presented a the need to spread

resolution to make secondary and

improvement on higher education

secondary schools in the towns

and erect Appointment of a secondary pueblos and

government high school commission and its aldeas on the

school. principal recommendations: rivers and creeks.

1. Practical secondary school with a bias towards prevocational training be established.


2. Grants in aid be given to existing secondary schools.
3. Limit the number of secondary school students pursuing academic courses.
4. Scholarship should be provided to the University College of the West Indies for
prospective secondary school teachers.

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Technical High School
A Technical high school was opened in 1952

 The plan was to offer a three year course which would be include instruction in wood
working and engineering for boys.
 Provide domestic science instruction for the girls who completed primary course.
 In 1954 the original conception of technical High School had been undergoing a
change and Harlow recommendation was carried.
 The course being designed to follow a three year curriculum with girls being
excluded.
 Admission to the school was based on competitive examination and interview.
 The fee charged was $51 per annum.
 Government assisted with bursaries for students from out districts.
 No pupil who qualifies for admission is excluded because of inability on the part of
the parent or guardian to pay the full fee

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University of the West Indies

The legislative
Originated with the
Council at the time
Irvine Report of
passed a resolution
1945 with the
that a West Indian
recommendation to
University should be
set up a university in
established. The
the commonwealth
resolution was
Caribbean.
To Develop a West debated and passed.
Indian outlook, to
create a pool of
leadership

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A nationalist Chapter 5: The Decolonization of Education (1954-1980)
movement had
emerged in the
1940’s, giving Objective of the government’s seven year Development plan
rise to the
development of
The Governor,
party politics
and to Belize was using his reserve
constitutional experiencing
hard times since power in the
change
the 1930’s and Legislative
those conditions Council brought
worsened in
1949 about the
devaluation of
the Belize dollar
against the
Philip Goldson,
Britishaspound
a member for social services, became
responsible for education
sterling.
The educational policy continued to follow the colonial
pattern that had been evolving since the 19th century

The denominational representatives had come a long


way from their rivalry of the 1930’s
.
They were more concerned with the broader goals of education and not primarily
with narrowly sectarian interests.

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UNESCO Mission’s Report of 1964

Objective of the government’s seven year Development


plan:

1. To improve the quality of education at all levels

2. To orient the system of education to meet the needs of the country’s


development.

3. To improve and expand training at the university and professional level.

 B.H. Easter had proposed a central institute and his proposal was re-iterated by
subsequent visiting experts, resulting in the proposal for a “practical” secondary school
which was realized with the opening of the Belize Technical High School.
 In early 1960’s the UNESCO Educational planning Mission included a place for junior
secondary schools within its proposed re-structure for the educational system.
 The two junior secondary schools are both Government owned and provided an academic
course/subjects: English, Mathematics, General Science and Social Studies.

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Important Dates

1965- Two independently run training colleges were amalgamated to form the Belize
Teachers

1966- Intermediate Training Centre also merge the amalgamated teachers college.

1969 – The first junior secondary school was opened in Belize City.

1972- Belize Junior Secondary School No. 2 was built and the stage was set for others
to be constructed in the other districts.

1979- pre-school unit was set up and some assistance began to be given to pre-school
centres in the form of training by the Pre-school Unit

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Chapter 6 The Quality of Education: The last Two Decades

The next
The UNESCO To the preparation UNESCO
Educational of the Seven Year
Planning Mission, Mission of 1983
Development Plan
which visited proposed a similar
(1964-1970),
Belize in 1964
recommendation.

R.S. Peters advises that quality in education can be considered in terms of “product”
Stated that education implies that something worthwhile is being or has been intentionally
transmitted in a morally acceptable manner.

The acquisition
of skills of
In Belize the
thinking
proposition has
been put involves
forward that understanding
education
should enable and reasoning.
the young to These two
think and grow
concepts,
in self-identity
as Belizeans. understanding
and reasoning,
must
The quotation from ministerial statements inthemselves
the early 1990’s
be some ten years
after Belize’s independence, suggests very clearly
clearlythat the aims of education
understood
should be related to societal as well as personal needs. by
teachers.

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In the last two decades of the twentieth century it was understood that improvements in the
quality of education required more than a mere material expansion

When Yet another The year 1980


established World Bank
marked a
policy goals 1988, a World report in1991
indicated this related to its down-turn in
Bank mission
understanding, partial funding this country's’
made similar
what the 1984 of the Belize
Education economy.
UNESCO
Development
Project.

That economic decline had its genesis in the fuel crisis of the mild 1970’s
which impacted our light manufacturing industries.
Besides, the prices of our sugar and citrus had fallen.
Such developments affected employment negatively and consequently our
standard of living.
The Government alone expended 5% of the G.D.P. On education and in terms
of its annual budget the allocation was 21% in 1983, which exceeded the
percentage allocated in1973 by 7.8%

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Primary Education of an improved Quality Pre-School
Education

 During the seventh and eight decades of the century there was a sharp increase of interest
and activity in pre-school education
 In 1979 the Preschool Unit was established by the Ministry of Education Officer
(preschool) was appointed.
 By 1983, preschool enrolment was about 1900 children in centres staffed by some 112
pre-school teachers.
 Of the pre-school centers 7 were operated by Government, 15 by community boards and
36
According to
the distribution, 5 child stimulation centres
In the 1989/90 school year
the numbers catering to the learning needs
pre-school centres were able
were as of children 3 years old and
to enroll 2,695 children in
follows: under.in 1991/92 there were
the 3 and 4 year old groups;
81 pre-school centres with
153 teachers served in theses
173 teachers in them.
pre-school centres

The pre-school enrolment was 2,915.

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In 1990 the Pre-school Unite began awarding certificates to pre-school
teachers who were successful in completing two six-week basic training
programs. They were:

Monthly workshops In the final decade a


for teachers and two-volume
At the Belize
Materials curriculum was
Teachers College an
production early childhood produced and
education distributed by the Pre-
workshops
programme was
conducted introduced school Unit relating to

during each early childhood

school term education.

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Primary Education
Between 1973 to 1983 government and gov aided primary schools increased
from 164 schools with a total enrollment of 30,060 in 1974, to 207 schools with
a total enrolment of 37,158 in 1983.
The management s of the schools in 1983, there were 121 under Roman
Catholic management, 24, Anglican schools, 21 Methodist schools.
The remaining schools were shared by other religious denominations:1 for each
of 7 management, 2 for each of 3 other managements, and 5 under the Seventh
Day Adventist Management.
Not all were fully grant-aided from the Government that was 1977 was Zion
Methodist Protestant School; however, that school became grant-aided
During the early part of the decade of the 80’s, new school were built with the
assistance of USAID and the Caribbean Development Bank. These includes:

School District
Biscayne Government School Belize
Douglas Government School Orange Walk
Trinidad Government School Orange Walk
San Pedro Colombia School Toledo
Stella Maris School Belize

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Special Education
Two intuitions for
The year 1981
was designated as Belize had few There were disabled children
the International services for services in the were in Belize
Year for Disabled disabled children. public domain for
Besides, there was disabled persons City
Persons (IYPD).
a scarcity of in the public
service, Stella Maris
information about
the number of specifically in the
Ministries of Lynne School,
persons with
disabilities. Health, Education which was
and Social
specifically
Services
established for
mentally disabled
children.

In 1990 the Belize Red Cross Society undertook a


project to strengthen both the quality and the quantity
of educational services available to disabled children
of school age.

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School Buildings

Existing primary schools were taking their pupils through the eight years curriculum of primary
education. Rural school were small. Urban school were overcrowded. Few students did not
complete the eight years of schooling.

UNESCO Mission recognized the need for school construction and observed that school
amalgamation rationalization would improve the physical condition of the school.

Government of Belize was aware of the need to improve school facilities but had no staff within
the Ministry of Education to share the responsibility to build more school buildings.

The Primary Curriculum


Curriculum Development Unit provide guides for each level of the primary school.
Revision of curriculum was not followed up.
Such revision were done by Qualified teachers and Education Officers.
Methods: Examples: activity , child centred.
1980’s- language used in the classroom(English)
Compartmentalized syllabus of the colonial ere was replaced by Langauge Arts.
(Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing)
1990’s- curriculum effort was the school Broadcasting Programme for primary
schools, which had been in existence for many years came to an end.

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Introduction of BNSE (Belize National Selection Examination)

1983-BNSE was put in place- to measure the academic achievement of Primary


school pupils upon their completion of the eight years of primary schooling
Primary School Leaving Certificate Examination (PSLCE) was introduced in 1940’s
and remained unchanged up to 1978.
PSLCE- was based on pass/ fail concept which was difficult to explain. (satisfactory
standard)

The PSE (Primary School Examination)


In May 2000, the BNSE was replaced by PSE. PSE was designed to
measure the achievement of Standard VI Pupils. (Math, English,
Science and Social Studies).

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Chapter 7: The Education Policy Environment

The environment is perceived as comprising


three factors:

1. Economic and financial aspect


The report refers to the very low population destiny of Belize, a population of less than
150,000 living on an area of some 23,000 sq. kilometres calculated at an average of 6.5
inhabitants per sq. kilometre.
2. Policy formation and implementation

3. The church/State Partnership

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Abbreviations

BAPSS Belize Association of Principal of Secondary Schools

BELCAST Belize Collage of Arts, Science and technology

CXC Caribbean Examinations Council

ESL English as a Second Language

FAO Food and Agriculture Organization

ITVET Institute of Technical and Vocational Education and


Training

UB University of Belize

UNICEF United Nations International Children and


Education Fund

UWI University of the West Indies

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History and Development
of Education in Belize

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