AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums The Cayes Ambergris Caye Schools on Ambergris Caye

Is it possible they don't exist? Do you think Wilson would exaggerate an emotional issue to get donations?

Thank you Elbert. I am afraid it all still seems rather strange and haphazard to me. Is there no central registration for school age children? Is it possible that children are simply not going to school because there are no spaces available? Is there any kind of licensing or accreditation authority for schools?

When you use the terms public and private are they being used in the English or American sense?

I am not trying to start anything here. I am just very curious because of all the various comments posted here and elsewhere about the schools.

Thank you again.

I have been told 11,000 children do not go to school in Belize, not because there is no places, but it is too do with the parents.

Good question, Martin ......
"Public Schools" has the American meaning, not the English one in this case.

There is no central registry of children in particular - everybody is supposed to register their existence somewhere, but there are lots of remote places where that does not happen.

Attending school is mandatory until age 14, but (here's the rub) even in the "public" school there is a fee for books and you have to buy a uniform too. Some people can't afford this for their children. Other kids are in really remote areas where it is deemed either too difficult, unsafe or downright impossible for the families to get them to school and back each day. And unfortunately there are some parents who would prefer to have their kids working instead of going to school.

GOB contracts out San Pedro's primary school program to the Roman Catholic church - hence a public school that is church-run.

There are also some private schools here and there that provide a service deemed sufficiently important (such as being in an area where the public school is overcrowded) that they get some sort of subvention from GoB.

From what I can tell, each area and the people in it are doing their best to work with ever-changing circumstances.

The kids take standardized tests nation-wide.

There are more than a few kids being home-schooled on the island through a variety of programs available in print and online.

I hope that is a little helpful - Amanda may wish to chime in here with some concrete info as a local parent who has school-age kids (who do really well in school).

Schools in Belize must be accredited by the Ministry of Education.

There are standardised tests.

Children must attend school until the age of 14 years.

However the reality is that there are not enough spaces in the schools to accommodate all of the kids that should be enrolled. Money is a factor in parents deciding whether or not to send their kids to school. Uniforms, books, even desks are provided by their parents. So if the parents don't have the wherewithal, or if the kids are "illegals" they may not receive a formal education.

The Government and the churches have schools that are accredited by the GOB and subsidised by the GOB, but they are church run and funded (via tuition and other sources of income.)

Thank you Diane and Amanda. I am beginning to get the picture (I think). I gather that there is probably some competition amongst and between the schools as well though I don't know on what basis they compete. I gather though that the competition if any is not primarily about religious affiliation? Is that right? Anyway, thanks again for enlightening me regarding the situation here.

Because all schools have the same curriculum and doing the same PSE at the end, the competition is only in school fees and religious affiliation (Adventist, Catholics etc.) The Religion is complete over weighted and there is no separation between religion and education.

In general the education Level in Belize is very low.
Standard six is a repetition from standard five, to prepare the children for the PSE. First Form High school, is more ore less a repetition of standard five and six, to reach the same level of education at the end of the first year in high school.

Sad but true, a standard five student can solve without hassle all the mathematics from the First Form High school math book.

If a child later like to study in the States or Europe, it needs at least 6 months to catch up with the higher standards.

Cayemen can you tell me how many children you have in Belizean Schools or where is your information from?

Hmmmmm we've spoken to folks whose kids went to school here, left to go elsewhere and found they were ahead of the kids their same age in the USA. Might be a function of age of child, particular school, or parents ..... but truly we did get some good reviews.

Correct link for The Island Academy: http://www.theislandacademy.com/