In Belize, education is a partnership between Church and State. The
various denominations operate the schools with government paying for
teachers’ and principals’ salaries, some elements of training, primary
school textbooks and some capital projects. There are also some schools
operated entirely by the Government.
Education accounts for approximately 25% of the Government of Belize’s
expenditure. The school leaving age is 14 years. High school admission
is by examination. Many children never make it to High School.
Most schools charge a fee each term to cover expenses such as cleaning,
photocopying, electricity (where it’s available), water, chalk and so
on. This fee is typically about US$25 a year per child, with reductions
for large families. No child is turned away from school because the
parent cannot pay the fees. In poor areas, many parents are unable to
pay fees, exacerbating the problems of the local school.
Some children are unable to attend school because they don’t have shoes
to wear, uniform or school supplies. This is not a rule which school
imposes, rather something which parents (and children) see as a barrier.
In common with most Church schools in Belize, we open our doors to
children of any or no faith or denomination. Our philosophy is to run
our schools in an atmosphere of love and kindness, with an emphasis on
self discipline. Although corporal punishment is still legal in schools in Belize, in the Anglican schools we prohibit corporal punishment.
We believe that it is our task to send our children
into the world with the tools they will need to have fulfilled lives.
This includes the best possible academic education, a questioning mind, a
feeling of self worth, a love of country, a respect for the
environment, a sense of duty to others and of course, a strong Christian
faith.
In common with most schools in Belize, quite a few of the children in
our care come from chaotic and unstable backgrounds. Although school
has traditionally been the place where you come to be educated, we now
find that schools are expected to take on social roles which in the past
would have been fulfilled by the family. This puts additional pressure
on our teachers and resources.
The Anglican Church in Belize is long established but unfortunately,
with many calls on its meagre resources, not rich. Each of our schools
has needs, some great, some small. For historical and geographic
reasons, some schools are better resourced than others. In particular,
our small rural schools struggle.
Our aim is to redress these inequalities so that all our children have
an equal opportunity to get the most out of their formative years.
To find out how you can join with us in our task, click HERE.
