Another important decision coming out of Tuesday's Cabinet Meeting is the pilot project of the Briceno Government's free education policy.
As viewers will remember, "free education from pre-school to 6th Form" was a major part of the Briceno Administration's Plan Belize manifesto for the 2020 General Elections, back when they were trying to become the ruling government.
Well, Today's Government press release says, quote, "Cabinet was also informed and supported the Ministry of Education's proposed multi-layered approach of the Belize Education Upliftment Project: Together We Rise, which will focus on providing specific targeted interventions to four schools in the Southside Belize City." End quote.
We spoke yesterday with Education Minister Francis Fonseca on the topic, and here's what he had to say about how this first phase of the free education program will work:
Francis Fonseca - Minister of Education
"We were very, very excited about this initiative. We call it the Education Upliftment Project. Together we rise. As you rightly said, it's the start of the free education policy program roll-out. So it's a pilot project for that rollout. We're starting on the southside of Belize City with four government high schools: Gwen Lizarraga High School, Maud Williams High School, Excelsior High School, and Sadie Vernon High School. What this will mean for the students who attend those institutions is that they will not have to pay any tuition fees. We are also instituting in those schools feeding programs. We're going to provide transportation. We are also, through our Student Welfare Unit at the Ministry of Education, engaging with the families, engaging the school communities to make sure that we can also assist students who need basic supplies, whether it be uniforms, tennis shoes, textbooks, whatever. We are also providing digital devices to those students who are attending those institutions. We are also - a very important part of it as well as the infrastructure development of these institutions. Many of these institutions are, you know, in some level of disrepair. So rehabilitation repairs to those institutions will be a part of the project as well. It's already budgeted for. So we have the funds available and we are absolutely excited. We've been engaged with all of these institutions, the principals, and the boards, getting ready for the new school year. So, we believe it's going to be a very, very good initiative. The whole idea is, as you all know, that these are at-risk communities. These schools are in at-risk communities and vulnerable communities. Over the past few years, we have seen that these schools have actually been losing students. It's amazing. We have to invest in these schools. We have to ensure that we are increasing enrollment in these institutions and providing incentives to our students in these communities to go to school."
