When ground was broken for the Wesley sixth form building in January of last year- many said it was a political stunt, mere electioneering by an area representative six weeks before the big dance.
Well the dance is over and so is the post party serenade, but the hope for Wesley is not. Espat delivered yesterday when the building was declared open and as Alfonso Noble found out, like the words of that old soul song, "it's been a long time coming."
Alfonso Noble Reporting,
It spikes out of the Wesley College compound as a testament to the devoted work and inexhaustible efforts made at bringing back tertiary level education in the Southside of Belize City. And true to it's billing the $300,000 six classroom building will bring back a tradition of good schooling that has been lacking here for the better part of three decades.
Hon. Mark Espat, Albert Area Rep.
"It offers a beacon of hope. I think that many Belizeans, those in primary and secondary schools, parents, and all of us are looking for symbols of hope and I think that this sixth form project shows that not because something didn't not work or stopped for whatever reason 30 years ago we should give up on it."
"I think this project is an important one to give hope for more education, more advancement for the people who in Albert and for so many people who come out high school and want to go on to further studies."
Studies that Espat says have been lacking in the Southside for the past 30 years. This is something he says must not be allowed to occur especially because of the important role that education plays in the development of the country.
Hon. Mark Espat,
"If Wesley had not been forced to close its doors 30 years ago, thousands of Belizeans would have had the chance to enter sixth form, earn more pay, learn new skills, to acquire skills."
"But let us pledge as an Albert community, government, church, educations, students, community that we will never again allow such a noble institution to falter. Ignorance and poverty are too high a price to pay."
Hon. Said Musa, Prime Minister
"We see education as the real stepping stone out of poverty. It is the ladder as a matter of fact out of poverty. No amount of wealth, no amount of money pouring into a country will eradicate poverty unless we have well trained and educated people with positive attitudes, ready for the work of development for themselves, their families, and communities."
And no one could agree more with that than Wesley's principal Brenda Armstrong. She's been pushing for the return of the school's junior college for many years and today's opening marked the end of her struggles on this front as well as the beginning of others.
Brenda Armstrong, Dean Wesley Sixth Form
"We've been trying to resume our sixth form studies for a while. This building allows us to have a home where the classes can be delivered. It at least opens the tunnel where we can have a day and a evening division to our junior college."
But while the plans are more than ready to begin the new school year in September there are concerns whether the 6th form building is large enough to accommodate a growing demand for tertiary level schooling especially in a space constricted school.
Brenda Armstrong,
"At Wesley College we are confined by space so our expansion cannot be lateral it has to be vertical but we will go higher."
Higher as well - with associates degree programs in information technology, business studies, social sciences and general studies.
Wesley was the first institution to offer a tertiary education in the 1930's.