In February of this year we learned via a press release that the Ministry of Education would be collaborating with the Caye Caulker Village Council and the Ocean Academy Board to advance pre-primary and high school construction projects under the Belize Education Sector Reform Programme.
However that project later fell through reportedly due to disagreements between Ocean Academy and the ministry. Area representative, Area Perez was also part of that project and we asked him for an update as to why the school has decided to fund its own reconstruction.
Reporter
"Ocean Academy, we understand that they have withdrawn from the agreement to sort of partner with you on the endeavor for the new school. Can you talk about what was the reasoning behind asking them to voluntarily revoke their license?"
Andre Perez - Minister of the Blue Economy
"You know, that was most unfortunate. It is most unfortunate, deeply disheartening, and I do know that we have been engaged in dialogue and speaking with them because we know the urgency of building a new high school, and we are all in this together. There was all kinds of allegations again—allegations that the minister had sold out the beachfront areas of the land, and that was clarified. We had a very fruitful meeting with them and the point made by the Ministry of Education was clearly that this is going to be a government-run school, and with that it means that teachers, students will be transferred over there."
"But I do know that they were talking about keeping it as the Ocean Academy way and keep it as... they wanted to have their own curriculum, and you know that is not what is really happening. As it relates to the details being done with the Ministry of Education and the school, there was a correspondence and we thought they were all on board, and lo and behold they just said that they don't want to be a part, and that they want to continue to raise their own funds, that they want to continue to be [a] private school. I won't go against it if they want to go private and keep it private, that is for them to do. But the funding, of course, they don't expect to get it from the government because the government has a responsibility to have a government-run high school."
