We always hear about the problems that the educational system faces, but rarely do we hear about solutions, especially the kind that is privately sponsored, developed and executed. But that's just what we found this weekend at Xunantunich. The owner of the Cave's Branch Resort, Ian Anderson came up with a new program a few months ago since then, he's been working with 20 students of Belmopan Comprehensive School to ensure that the students make better grades. It's an ambitious programme but Alfonso Noble found that it's paying off.
Alfonso Noble Reporting, [alfnoble@yahoo.com]
Looking at these youths being given a guided tour of Xunantunich, they appear like any other group on an expedition. But this is no ordinary tour, they are here as part of a program called Badcat - Belize Adventure Culture and Technology. Ian Anderson came up with the programme to help failing students boost their grades.
Ian Anderson,
"We are taking children from various walks of life, both boys and girls, and we dangled the proverbial carrot in front of them to excite them and to encourage them to do better in school and we work with them on a continuous basis throughout the year to assist them and continuously encourage them to take them out and do better in school, attitude and relationship wise between their peers and to create an end result of them staying in school and doing better in school. We started working a couple months ago with the Belmopan Comprehensive School with a class that consisted of about 80 students who were having problems in school and the principal and the teachers were concerned that if they would continue on this course many of them would not come back to school. We worked with about 20 of these at-risk kids and everyone one of them, with the exception of just one, graduated or passed the final exams and are with us today."
And that's not just lip service, the students themselves can vouch for the significant improvement that the Badcat Program has had on their grades and their overall development.
James Choc, Participant
"I was one of the guys that never think of education, I wouldn't worry about my grades but after he told us that if we passed we would get a trip to San Pedro so I did my best. Right now to me I see that I did my best and I went to San Pedro so now I know that if place more interest there are bigger things waiting for me. I can do more things that I wouldn't have thought of. Now that people have reminded me how important my education is to me, I know that I have to do it and nobody will do it for me; I have to do it for myself. I have to put my interest, study hard, and do what I need to do for my school."
Amenie Munoz, Participant
"When I was in second form I we was giving lots of trouble and always getting into fights and different stuff and they like started talking to me and introduced me to this program and I found it very interesting because it introduces me to different people from all over the world, teaches me to socialize with different, and buy doing that you find that you can do a lot for yourself by socializing and not always fighting because that doesn't do if any good. Having a lot of trouble in school you get suspension and you have to be out of class and by being out of class you don't have your grades building up. Before this I didn't have any math grades and when we started this program we started to have evening classes and hat introduced me to the math work because I hadn't had any participation in math class and what brought up my grade. Math was the only subject I needed to pass to get to the next class."
Mario Portillo, Participant
"It changed my life because now I am improving in a lot of my studies and I am doing much better."
And everyone says so because of the clear influence the program has had on him. Anderson says that's the aim of the program: to have students appreciate the value of education.
Ian Anderson,
"All the people that work with me over the years have all been successful, they've had good guidance and good leadership and they've developed themselves into good citizens of the country."
If he lives up to that promise the success of this program would have already multiplied considerably.
Anderson says he is expects to increase the number of participants in the Badcat Programme to about 120 students. As it currently stands, he's meeting all expenses and plans to implement fund raising schemes to support the Badcat Program.
