PCV: Paid Caribbean Vacation

I realize that I constantly talk about the education system here without ever really explaining it, so this is my attempt to give insight and history to what the education system in Belize is. I will show what national stats that I could find and compare them to what I know from Yo Creek Sacred Heart RC, where I work.

• Belizean education is rooted in slavery and was seen as a way to teach morals to slaves and keep them in line.
• 1860- First school was established. No blacks allowed, only for the few white children who couldnt afford to attend school in England
• They only accepted people from their denomonation in order to teach doctrines, not quality education. The motto was "win souls to build a church."
• 70% of schools in Belize are run by the church. Other 30% are run by the government.
• Until 1998, there was a teacher's college that certified teachers to teach
• Despite the teacher's college, it was not required and until last year high school graduates were allowed to teach with the permission of the Pastor
• Church often hires people in church, regardless of experience
• The government pays 100% of teacher's salaries
• Subjects covered are Language Arts, Science, PE, Expressive Arts, Sewing, Math, Social Studies, and Health.
• Although there are laws on what to teach and at what grade, the enforcement seems to be extremely lacking by both the church and the government.

All of this is for every student to prepare to pass the PSE (pre secondary exams). They are taken country wide and if you do not pass them, you do not go to high school. Not only must you pass it but it only accepts a certain percentile. This creates an automatic ceiling for students going to high school and puts the majority out on the streets. Thus, recreating the cycle of poverty and lack of education.

The system does not allow for repeating of grades. Just moves students up based on "social promotion."

Basic breakdown is 8:4:2, which is primary, secondary, associates

• Infant I - 5 years old
• Infant II- 6 years old
• Standard I- 7 years old
• Standard II- 8 years old
• Standard III- 9 years old
• Standard IV- 10 years old
• Standard V- 11 years old
• Standard VI- 12 years old
• Form I- 13 years old
• Form II- 14 years old
• Form III- 15 years old
• Form IV- 16 years old
• Form VI- 17 years old
• Form VI- 18 years old

Some of these ages vary depending on the birthday of the child, but I know that students must be 13 or younger when they graduate from Standard VI. It is not a typo to have 2 Standard VI classes. Those are considered junior college and if you complete them, Im fairly certain you get an associates degree. After that you go onto University to pursue a bachelors degree.

The problem with this system is how many kids it fails. Almost all schools have uniforms and books that parents must pay for. School fees are very cheap (my school is $15 per year) but often times students have trouble paying. Books are treated very similar to how the college system works in the states so that every year new editions are published and it becomes hard to buy books for every class. Especially if you have multiple children. Kids are only required to attend school up to Standard VI. After this, many are forced into the work place to find jobs that dont really exist for them.

I have heard reports that the national average is around 30% of kids move onto the Forms. Last year, my school sent 95% of its students to secondary school, which is extremely high. In the Cayo district the rate was 24%. I have heard that in Toledo, the poorest district in Belize and where most of PCVs are located, is as low as 6%. It is no wonder why certain areas of the country are falling behind when only 6% of their children are being educated after age 12.

There have been rumors that the government wants to take over education in Belize. Right now, this is simply not possible. Being that the Roman Catholic church has a strong hold on education in this country, they also make the laws and rules for the education system. The RC church has too much power and if the government tries to step in, the education system itself could easily crumble.

There have been many attempts to reform the education system throughout the years, but none have made significant progress. After the teacher's college closed in 1998, it left most of the hiring and firing up to the church. Many schools give jobs to anyonly willing to teach. The difference between Belize and the United States is that teaching a very sought after job here. The most respected person in any community is the Priest, followed by teachers. When I walk around Yo Creek, I am referred to as Mr. Kevin by all adults and as Teacher Kevin by all the kids and some adults. It is a level of respect that I have yet to earn.

Most places dont have teachers that are trained. Like I said earlier, in many Toledo villages teachers can be 18 and teaching already with no experience. In my school, I am extremely lucky to have a very qualified staff. We have 8 staff members (9 if you include me) who teach Infant I-II and Standards I-VI. Of those 8, we have 2 masters degrees, 3 bachelors, and 3 who have gone through the teacher's college. Everyone has atleast 5 years experience. Another great asset is every teacher lives in the village, which is uncommon for most schools. The only drawback that Yo Creek Sacred Heart has is that it's principal is a teaching principal which means she is in the classroom as well as all the administrative things she must do.

The easy question to ask here then is "Why are you at such a nice school when there is so much need at other places around the country and around the world?" Well one of the pros, and one of the cons of Peace Corps is we are only put in places where we are asked for. The obvious problem here is that not everyone knows how to ask. These are problems that may slowly become fixed since after the next training class comes in, there should be a PCV in every village in Toledo. Something that is very important to remember is Peace Corps is not the answer.

Some people want to develop and others do not. What most Americans consider development is a McDonalds on every block with street lights and electricity for everyone. This is simply not possible and Peace Corps would never want this. The best thing I have realized about Peace Corps thus far is that we dont seem to push ideas on people. Our services are asked for, we provide what we can, and hopefully both parties learn from the experience.

Education is needed in all parts of this country. In some places more than others, but I feel lucky to be in a place where the staff is all here for the right reasons and I am supported and treated like I've been here for years despite only being here for a few weeks. I will be teaching Standards I-VI for the next two years in computers to better prepare them for secondary school and beyond.

Today was my first day of teaching and it went something like this. Standard II never got passed the giggles and we had a lot of fun just laughing at the white guy that is really big (thats me). Standard V didnt show up when they were scheduled. Standard IV got to turn the computers on, then turn them off. It was a productive day. Then Standard V just showed up later in the day for 25 minutes (they were scheduled for 45). We played games and other things to waste the time. They seem to know more than I expected about computers anyway. 1 day in, I still have no idea what Im doing, but as long as they dont know that... I'll be just fine.

thanks for reading